The US Bishops’ Conference and American Jewish Committee have published a new version of the latter’s glossary of antisemitic rhetoric that is annotated with the Catholic perspective on each definition. The move comes in an effort to “continue building bridges and combat antisemitism”.
On 11 December, the two organisations announced the release of <a href="https://www.ajc.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2024-12/TranslateHateCatholicEdition_December_2024.pdf"><em><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition</mark></em></a>, which includes annotations from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Ecumenical Affairs giving the Catholic perspective on antisemitic terms, phrases, conspiracies, cartoons, themes and memes detailed throughout the booklet.
The USCCB said the resource “paves the way for deeper and wider cooperation in a shared commitment to eradicating antisemitism at a time when recent events have challenged Catholic-Jewish relations”.
Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee director of interreligious affairs, called the Catholics edition of <em>Translate Hate</em> a groundbreaking project that comes at an important time given the rise of antisemitism globally and in the United States.
Bishop Joseph Bombera of Scranton noted that the rise of antisemitic incidents both globally and in the United States are a reminder that there is more work to be done.
“This project is but one example of the fruits of our collaboration that we hope will have wide-ranging impacts as Catholics and Jews continue building bridges and combat antisemitism together,” Bombera, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, said in a statement.
<em>Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition</em> includes about 60 terms, phrases, conspiracies, cartoons, themes and memes, as well as sections on Catholic resources, on defining antisemitism and on how to report hate. It also includes an introductory essay from Bambera, in which he highlights the rise of antisemitism and the US bishops’ commitment to stand alongside the Jewish community.
“Observing this alarming trend, the bishops of the committee remain committed to standing shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish brothers and sisters to combat this evil,” Bombera wrote in the introductory note.
“In this spirit, we welcome the opportunity to share our particular perspective with our friends at American Jewish Committee (AJC)…It is our hope that our additional comments assist you in understanding Catholic teaching in respect to these curated themes and tropes.”
The committee’s annotations are included at the bottom of each description.
For example, under “F”, the glossary first defines the phrase “From the River to Sea”, which it describes as a “phrase that can be used to call for the elimination of the State of Israel and/or ethnic cleansing of Jews living there, to be replaced with Palestinian control over the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea”.
A second section then details specific instances when the phrase is antisemitic. Underneath all of that, is a final section labelled “Catholic Commentary”, where it notes: “The Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews encourages Catholics to understand and respect the deep religious connection Jews feel towards Israel.” The commentary section also highlights that “Vatican and papal policy advocates for a two-state solution” between Israel and Palestine.
Rabbi Marans said in a statement: “USCCB’s allyship and leadership in confronting antisemitism as a threat not only to the Jewish people but also to civilised society more broadly is a key part of the national whole-of-society approach we need to combat anti-Jewish hate.”
On 6 October, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published data that there were more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States between 7 October 2023 – the date of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel – to 24 September 2024, which is more than a 200-per cent increase compared to the incidents reported to the organisation over the same period a year before.
Those incidents included over 8,015 instances of verbal or written harassment, over 1,840 instances of vandalism, and more than 150 incidents of physical assault, according to the ADL.
Holly Huffnagle, the American Jewish Committee US director of combating antisemitism, said in a statement that at a time when antisemitism is on the rise, the new Catholic edition of <em>Translate Hate</em> will “help equip Catholics, Jews and others with the tools needed to recognise antisemitism”.
She added: “The first step in combating antisemitism is being able to understand and identify it. <em>Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition</em> presents this information in a way that can be used at all levels of Catholic and Jewish formal and informal education and empower our partners to stand up to anti-Jewish hate.”
<em>Photo: Detail from cover of '<a href="https://www.ajc.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2024-12/TranslateHateCatholicEdition_December_2024.pdf"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition</mark></a>' (screenshot).</em>
