Statement from the Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministry
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministry mourns the tragic loss of life and the profound harm inflicted during a violent assault on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. This act—widely recognized as an antisemitic terrorist attack targeting Jewish families and community members—has left many dead and injured, shattering communities and casting a shadow over what should have been a time of light, hope, and joy.
In this moment of grief, we turn to the convictions of our shared faith and the commitments affirmed by our church’s theological reflection on Jewish-Christian relations. As the 1993 Report from the Commission on Theology: A Statement on Relations Between Jews and Christians declares,
“Christians today have an urgent responsibility to converse and cooperate with, and to affirm Jewish people as the special kindred of Christians [before God];”
a call that shapes how we stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbors in sorrow, in solidarity, and in resolve against hatred.
We reject all expressions of antisemitism, violence, and prejudice. We are committed to living out God’s commandment to love neighbors as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31), to seek peace (Psalm 34:14), and to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). In honoring the sacred dignity of every human life, we pray for the victims, comfort the bereaved, uplift the injured and traumatized, and walk with Jewish communities around the world in faithful partnership.
May God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and inspire us to work unceasingly for justice, reconciliation, and the flourishing of all God’s children (Philippians 4:7; Micah 6:8).