Bishop Sisk issues statement on divestment in Israel

By NICOLE SEIFERTH

Bishop Mark S. Sisk joined with members of the New York City Board of Rabbis (NYBR) for a press conference on the steps of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine to express his opposition to divestment in Israel.
Held the morning of July 21, the Very Rev. James A. Kowalski, dean of the Cathedral and Rabbi Robert N. Levine, vice president of the NYBR, first offered prayers for victims of the second London bombings and for victims of all acts of violence.

The issue of divestment was most recently discussed at the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Nottingham.  The ACC passed a resolution on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that, among other points, commended “…the resolve of the Episcopal Church (USA) to take appropriate action where it finds that its corporate investments support the occupation of Palestinian lands or violence against innocent Israelis.” (Visit www.aco.org/acc/meetings/acc13/resolutions.cfm#s36 for the full text of the resolution.)

 In his statement, Bishop Sisk noted that “while this resolution doesn’t use the word ‘divestment,’ it does applaud the actions taken by our national church to study the use of economic leverage in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Bishop Sisk’s statement continued, “In New York, many of our Jewish friends believe that those actions place the Episcopal Church on a steep and slippery slope toward divestment.  I agree.”

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the NYBR read a statement from the Board, thanking Bishop Sisk for his support and for understanding “…that investment not divestment is a necessary measure in creating conditions for security and opportunity on behalf of Israelis and Palestinians.”

Rabbi Adam Mintz, president of the NYBR, expressed his hope that others would follow Bishop Sisk in supporting investment in the region.

Both groups noted that the Episcopal and Jewish communities have a long history of collaboration and friendship. Levine said, “Our communities have met regularly to talk about these issues, to talk about social justice, to talk about the budget of New York, to talk about affordable housing, to talk about poverty.”  He added that he thought, “that such a forthright statement today would probably not have happened without the relationship of respect and trust that we’ve built over the years.”

Bishop Sisk’s statement concluded, “In support of peace in the Middle East, I think that now is the time to invest, not divest.  Now is the time to invest both in Israel and Palestine, not only our capital, but also programmatic funding to end the familiar and deeply embedded pattern of violence.

“Above all and always, we echo the words of the Psalmist and call all people to ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.’”

Statements on divestment

A statement from Bishop Mark S. Sisk

Statement from the New York Board of Rabbis