Amid US-Israel War with Iran, Catholics Urged to Combat Antisemitism at Home

The growing list of destructive consequences of President Trump’s war on Iran includes effects that will never be considered in the Situation Room or during congressional debates. But the corrosive effect the war is having on relations between Christians and Jews could prove as consequential as any of the geopolitical results.

Engagement with Israel in an all-out war of choice against Iran, which posed no imminent threat to the United States, places those Christian voices who strongly criticize the war — this publication among them — under special scrutiny.

Is disagreement with the government of Israel’s policies necessarily antisemitic? If not, how does one separate the two, given that Judaism and its history are inextricably linked to the modern state?

In this era of growing antisemitism that feeds on ancient memes, online tropes and internet influencers whose fevered and hateful imaginations lie beyond accountability, the threads are not easily separated. Legitimate critique of Israeli geopolitics becomes fuel for baseless antisemitism.

Guidance through that thicket of tensions is available thanks to the long work of civil authority, in the Catholic Church’s singular document, Nostra Aetate, and in efforts by the Vatican and Jewish leaders elevating the roots of our shared faith.

On March 18, in anticipation of this year’s Holy Week, Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon, recited portions of the text of Nostra Aetate to emphasize the church’s close connection to and obligations toward Judaism.

“The Jewish community is attacked at a far higher rate than any other religious group in the United States,” he said. “If we Catholics, in truly living out the Gospel, are to defend religious freedom with integrity, we must clearly speak out against antisemitism.”

Sample grounded his statement in Nostra Aetate and its expansive embrace not only of Judaism but of all religions. The document, a product of the Second Vatican Council, represents a significant step toward interreligious understanding and mutual respect.

The Church’s commitment to combating antisemitism is not merely a political stance but a moral imperative rooted in the call to protect the vulnerable. Proverbs 31:8-9 reminds us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, a principle that applies to the Jewish community in the face of rising hostility.

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