Jews react strongly to remarks made by German bishops in West Bank

Published: 2007-03-07

COLOGNE, Germany (CNS) -- Remarks made by German bishops during a recent visit to the West Bank have caused a storm of reaction from Jewish leaders in Germany. The Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Israeli Embassy responded angrily to comments by Bishop Gregor Hanke of Eichstaett, who compared the situation of Palestinians in Ramallah with that of Jews in the Warsaw ghetto in Poland during World War II. For his part, Bishop Walter Mixa of Augsburg described the Israel-Palestinian situation as "almost racism." The bishops were on a weeklong pilgrimage, which ended March 4 with a visit to Ramallah in the West Bank. The bishops toured Israel and met with Israeli Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as with Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, and local bishops and priests. They also visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. According to news reports, Bishop Hanke said: "In the morning (we saw) pictures of the inhumane Warsaw ghetto at Yad Vashem, in the evening we travel to the ghetto in Ramallah. You can only hit the roof." Bishop Mixa also referred to Ramallah as a "ghettolike situation."

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