UC Canada Responds to Brothers Controversy
Rev. Bruce Gregersen, The United Church of Canada General Council Minister, Programs responded to a challenge issued by the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs. (Photo: United Church of Canada)
The United Church of Canada has issued a statement in response to questions regarding Karin Brothers’ participation at an anti-Semitic Al Quds rally that took place in Toronto in late August. Brothers, a member of the social justice committee of Bloor Street Church in Toronto (and apparently a contributor to Physics911, part of the “Truther” movement), prompted outrage by appearing at a rally where speakers spoke in patently hostile terms regarding the state of Israel. One speaker described Israel as a cancer and another described it as a “parasitic Zionist state.” At this rally, videotaped by the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Brothers told attendees, “We need you.”
On Friday, Sept. 2, Rev. Bruce Gregersen, spokesman for the United Church of Canada, issued a statement in response to questions posed by the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs in its video, namely, “Does Karin Brothers speak for the United Church of Canada?” The text of Gregersen’s statement reads as follows:
In answer to several questions about Karin Brothers and her recent participation in the Toronto Al-Quds Day Rally, while Ms. Brothers is a member of the United Church, her views are her own and she does not speak on behalf of, or represent, The United Church of Canada.
The United Church of Canada unequivocally supports the right of Israel to exist and believes that the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine is one that holds the most promise for peace. We have long-standing partners throughout the region, and our statements and policies are guided by their perspectives. All our statements are posted on our website, http://www.united-church.ca/partners/global/israel-palestine#policies.
For more background, go here.
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