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Photo: Jeremy Feldman
'Promoting the status of women based on biblical values'
Photo: Jeremy Feldman

Jewish, Christian women gather in Jerusalem

'All of the sudden 500 women realized we are our sister's keeper,' says Evangelical participant

Hundreds of Jewish and Christian women met in Jerusalem this week to "promote the status of women based on biblical values."

 

The event was organized by the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, and was hailed as a success by the Caucaus's Director, Josh Reinstein, despite criticisms levelled at the conference by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, which said that some Christian participants were using the event to missionize.

 

"The event was a tremendous success. We had about 600 women at the conference and they had their eyes opened to plight of women around the world," Reinstein told Ynetnews.

 

"Its Important people realize that Israel is an island of freedom in a sea of totalitarianism, and that to have such a conference would be illegal in any of our neighbouring countries. We can't discuss female genital mutilation in Egypt, or honor killings Jordan," he added.

 

Reinstein shrugged off the allegations of missionizing levelled at the conference's Christian participants, saying, "This was a decision taken by two rabbis in the Chief Rabbinate's sub-committee. They had misinformation and hopefully it will be repealed. The Caucus goes to extreme length not to work with missionary organizations. And I can only suggest that any decision was based on erroneous misinformation."

 

'We are our sister's keeper'

Kay Arthur, a US Evangelical pastor, said the conference was an eye-opening event drawing attention to the horrendous plight of women around the world. "When we heard that 113 to 200 million women have gone missing - they were either murdered, died of neglect, or died of abuse - and that every year 1 -3 million women girls lose their lives as a result of gender-based violence, all of the sudden women saw that they were their sister's keeper," she said."

 

"We know from Genesis chapter 9 that when man kills another man, he kills someone created in the image of God. So when we neglect women, no matter what their faith, or country, their blood in a sense is crying out to God," Arthur said.

 

"Are we going to let all these women suffer domestic violence? Be used in the sex trafficking trade, or see light sentences given for honor killings? See female suicide bombers glorified? No, we are going home to have our voices heard, not in militant way, but in a compassionate yet very firm way," she added.

 

"The world needs to wake up and see that this is human rights issue. Women were created in the image of God. In God's design, men are to be the protectors of women, not their predators," Arthur said.

 

She added that "in Muslim culture, even if woman is raped she can be put to death, because she was raped, and therefore brought 'shame' to the family. We heard of one case where a woman was murdered by her family because she had a song dedicated to her on the radio."

 

Esther Levins, Director of the National Unity Coalition for Israel, an umbrella group of Jews and Evangelicals, said her organization represents millions of Americans and was "one of the first to reach out to the Evangelicals," adding that this type of event was an important example of Jewish-Christian cooperation.

 

"The global jihad war is against Jews and Christians. We are in this together whether we like each other or not. Once we start working together we find we like each other," she said.

 


פרסום ראשון: 05.21.07, 22:23
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