ELCA Supports A Shared Jerusalem

ELCA SUPPORTS A SHARED JERUSALEM

The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has added his signature to a
full-page ad regarding the city of Jerusalem developed for publication in
the "New York Times.?  Under the headline ?Heritage, Hope and Home of
Two People and Three Religions,? the ad calls for Jerusalem to be shared
by Israelis and Palestinians when the stalled peace process resumes.
The ad urges the U.S. government to ?call upon negotiators to move
beyond exclusivists? claims and create a Jerusalem that is a sign of
peace and a symbol of reconciliation.  It is expected to be published Dec.
21.  The placement of the ad comes at a point when Clinton and other
U.S. foreign policy leaders are advising Israel not to block negotiations by
expanding settlements in the West Bank.  With more than 265 individual
and group signatures to date, the text of the ad says, ?Jerusalem at
peace cannot belong exclusively to one people, one country or one
religion.  Jerusalem should be open to all, shared by all ... two people and
three religions.?  It continues, ?As Christians committed to working for
peace, we support a negotiated solution for Jerusalem that respects the
human and political rights of both Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the
rights of the three religious communities.?  The ad was developed by
Churches for Middle East Peace, an ecumenical partnership that includes
the ELCA.  In April 1996 the ELCA Church Council urged that free access
to Jerusalem be guaranteed for all peoples at all times and called upon
the international community to respect and protect the unique historical
nature of Jerusalem as sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.  ELCA
members were called to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem, remembering
the suffering and the hope of both Palestinians and Israelis and the
challenges their leaders face as they work to move the peace process
forward.  In 1995 the Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom, Anderson?s
predecessor, and other high-ranking Christian leaders called on Clinton to
press Israel to stop seizing land and constructing settlements in
Jerusalem.

For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service, (312)
380-2958 or AHAFFTEN@ELCA.ORG; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312)
380-2955 or FRANKI@ELCA.ORG; Melissa Ramirez, Assist. Dir., (312)
380-2956 or MRAMIREZ@ELCA.ORG