Archbishop of Canterbury prays at Western Wall with UK chief rabbi
At Yad Vashem visit, head of Church of England stresses imperative to fight anti-Semitism, calls it ‘the root of all racism’ within European culture
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, visited Jerusalem on Wednesday, and was joined by UK Chief Rabbi Ephaim Mirvis for prayers at the Western Wall.
In what Mirvis described as “a unique moment in history,” the two religious leaders toured the Old City of Jerusalem and visited Yad Vashem.
“It was a very special afternoon for me, and to be able to walk through the Jewish Quarter with the Archbishop, to show him memories of my own, where my wife and I lived for two years, and to live and breathe the Jewish history of the city, leading to the prayer together at the Kotel,” Mirvis told the Jewish Chronicle.
Welby invited Mirvis, a personal friend, to join him for his trip to Jerusalem in what is the first time heads of the two faith communities visited the city together.
Grateful for the opportunity to pray for peace with @ChiefRabbi at the Western Wall in Jerusalem earlier today. pic.twitter.com/bBTV4PSGzA
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) May 3, 2017
After visiting the Western Wall, Mirvis spoke of the historic moment when the head of the Church of England and the leader of Britain’s Jewish community prayed together.
“I would so love to send a message of hope back through the annals of history — to Clifford’s Tower in York, to the medieval communities who endured the scourge of the blood libel and to those who lives were devastated by the Crusades — to let them know that a Chief Rabbi and an Archbishop of Canterbury would one day pray alongside one another, as close friends, in the holy city of Jerusalem,” according to a reporter for The Times.
Strong words from @ChiefRabbi Mirvis after he visited the Western Wall with Archbishop @JustinWelby today in Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/pEaGCSLPzk
— Kaya Burgess (@kayaburgess) May 3, 2017
Earlier the two faith leaders visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, where they laid a wreath and signed the visitors’ book.
At the museum Welby spoke of anti-Semitism as the root of all European racism.
“Within European culture, the root of all racism, I think, is found in anti-Semitism. It goes back more than a thousand years,” he said. “Within our Christian tradition there have been century upon century of these terrible, terrible hatreds. One people, who contributed more to our culture as a people than almost any other that one can identify, was also hated more specifically, more violently, more determinedly and more systematically, than any other group.”
#Exclusive: Messages left by Archbishop of Canterbury @JustinWelby & @ChiefRabbi Mirvis in @YadVashem Book of Remembrance pic.twitter.com/rQJQZXyokw
— Jewish News (@JewishNewsUK) May 3, 2017
The archbishop also spoke of the need to counter the rise in anti-Semitism.
“Coming here today I am reminded how important that is, and particularly when having spoken to members of Parliament over the last few months who are Jewish, they have spoken of the upsurge in attacks on them and the wickedness that they have suffered,” he said.
Mirvis stressed the importance of personal friendship and of building bridges between the faiths.
“So by being here together, the two of us are sending out a very strong message. Today in Jerusalem we prayed together for peace and today in Jerusalem we call on all others, not just to yearn and pray for peace, but to do something proactive to guarantee that we within our fragile and divided world, will indeed achieve peace. That will be the ultimate tribute for us to pay to the victims of the Shoah. May their memory be for an eternal blessing.”
"She was such a kind presence" The Chief Rabbi & the Archbishop of Canterbury hear tributes to Hannah Bladon from her friends @HebrewU pic.twitter.com/JMMoKUX48S
— Chief Rabbi Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) May 3, 2017
The two religious leaders paid a visit to Hebrew University, to pay tribute to UK student Hannah Bladon who was murdered last month in a terror attack.
Welby visited Israel as part of 10-day tour of the region, his first visit since 2013. He will also visit the Palestinian Authority and Egypt.
His Majesty King Abdullah II receives the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby #Jordan pic.twitter.com/eZ4zdpCN1H
— RHC (@RHCJO) May 2, 2017
Earlier on Wednesday he was in Jordan where he led prayers at the Bethany Beyond the Jordan archaeological site, believed to be the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus of Nazareth.
He called for greater support for those in need, saying: “In this place where we hear birdsong and running water we are surrounded, within a few kilometers (miles), with violence.”
The archbishop met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and also visited St Paul’s Anglican Church in Amman. After his visit there he said, “It is an extraordinary place — a congregation made up of Jordanians, a few Egyptians, some Syrians (though many of these have been resettled) and Iraqi refugees.”
He also stressed the role of Christians in the Middle East.
“We must also find ways of improving things in this region. We do not want a Middle East without Christians. Christians have a long history in the Middle East, they are still here, and they surely must be part of its future.”
AP contributed to this report.
