NCCHE Hosts Lecture on Israel, Palestine
By DYLAN SZEPESI
On March 24, author, professor of Theology, and dual Israeli-American citizen, Yehezkel Landau, was welcomed to the Seton Hill campus by the Eva Fleischer Truth Finding Program and the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education (NCCHE) to speak on the complex and historied conflict between Israel and Palestine, as well as the impact of interreligious relations around the world. Landau encouraged nuance when viewing the situation and setting aside personal biases in pursuit of truth. He promoted mutual understanding from all parties within and without in hopes that the generational conflict between Israel and Palestine may one day come to a peaceful end.
Landau’s lecture, entitled “Israel, Palestine, and Jewish-Christian Relations,” was introduced with a prayer from University Chaplain Monsignor Roger Statnick, and opening words from Dr. James Paharik, NCCHE director.
Landau, who founded many peace projects, said that for a peaceful resolution to be found, mutual understanding must be reached with much work necessary from both sides. This, he believes, is vital to finding “the dignity of every human being” created in the likeness of God.
Paharik welcomed the opportunity to have Landau speak on campus. Paharik highlighted the importance of the topic to both staff and students at Seton Hill and spoke highly of Landau’s virtue as “a peacemaker trying to achieve justice for all.” Additionally, he identified Landau’s alignment with the position of the Catholic Church. Paharik felt Landau’s lecture was in fellowship with his own work at the NCCHE by “promoting closer relations between Catholics, Jews, and Muslims.”
Landau spoke on the global ramifications of the conflict and how, in turn, religious relations around the world between Christians, Jews, and Muslims have become immensely strained. The war in Gaza, in U.S. public consciousness, is often characterized by the conflict between Jews and Muslims in the region. However Landau was keen to remind the audience of the often overlooked “third rail” of relation, that being the trilateral relationship between Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
As sibling religions the three share “antagonistic interdependence” in the eyes of Landau. He explained this triangular structure is prone to imbalance with any alliance between two parties being seen as a threat to the third, a situation Landau believes is occurring today. Muslim fear of a Christian-Jewish alliance has only increased defensiveness and worsened relations across the Middle East. This perceived alliance has only strengthened in the decades following the great cooperation of Jews and Christians in response to the Holocaust of World War II and is now embodied by the military alliance between the U.S. and Israel. To remedy this, Landau said that our Muslim brothers and sisters across the world must be immediately brought into discussion, acknowledged, and given a voice to reduce Muslim isolation and prevent the seed of resentment from growing.
In his lecture, Landau called for accountability from all, and diagnosed the disastrous lack of trust on both sides. Landau finds “trust is based on truthtelling,” a quality he finds lacking in both factions, with both sides clouded by “propaganda machines spilling out self-referential, partial truth.” He highlighted the necessity of Jews to contend with the internationally recognized war crimes committed by Israeli military forces against the people in Gaza, as well as the responsibility of Palestine liberationists to acknowledge the “atrocities” of the Islamic militant organization Hamas, including acts of terrorism resulting in the deaths of civilians. To Landau, taking the first steps to peace is self-reflection and self-criticism, an act he suggests demonstrates a level of sincerity and openness to a true resolution.
Landau claimed the conflict between Israel and Palestine is no longer fueled by faith, but rather governmental heads of state co-opting religion in a dangerous form of fascism. He divorced the expansionist and militarist missions of leaders from their cloaks of religion and claimed that the wills of tyrants and generals is not representative of the will of the people who call that region “home.” Landau denounced the extremist and fundamentalist elements of both factions, calling for responsibility for Muslim militarism and condemning the “apocalyptic fantasy of victory” held by zionist Christians and Jews, expressing his belief that for peace a change in leadership of both sides is necessary.
Following Landau’s lecture, The Most Reverend Larry J. Kulick, the Bishop of Greensburg, spoke in response. He reaffirmed calls for peace and the necessary cooperation between religions for the conflict to come to an end. He joined Landau in denouncing antisemitism in all its forms as well as terrorism and the killing of civilians. Kulick called upon historical examples of Jewish and Catholic collaboration, expanding on Landau’s examples of religious unity, and hopes that through similar cooperation peace can be found in Israel and Palestine. Closing Remarks were given by university professor of English and Co-Chair of the Eva Fleischner Truth Finding Program, Sarah Marsh, who used the setting of the university to call the audience to educate themselves, seek knowledge, and find truth. In a statement she reiterated the mission of Seton Hill’s education in the liberal arts tradition. She separated the term from its contemporary connotation and emphasized its original definition derived from Latin meaning free. In this tradition of free education Landau’s visit promoted both the mission of Seton Hill and the Eva Fleischner Truth Finding Project.