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The former Protestant dean Martin Steinbach (left) gave a lecture in the Lenggrieser Waldkirchenforum.
© bib
In the Lenggrieser Waldkirchenforum the question was how Christians should position themselves in the Gaza war.
The former Protestant dean Martin Steinbach was a guest.
Lenggries – The former Protestant dean Martin Steinbach did not have a peace solution for the Middle East.
But the visitors to the Lenggrieser Waldkirchenforum made a lot of progress in dealing with this war on Sunday.
“How do we position ourselves as Christians in the Gaza war?” was the title of the forum.
Barbara von Uthmann had invited Steinbach to “attempt positioning”.
Steinbach does not want to take on the role of referee
The speaker first explained the partnership that has connected the Tölzer Deanery with Palestine since 2005.
He then drew his observations from these experiences.
His presentation remained objectively balanced from start to finish.
He gave the numbers of dead and injured since October 7, 2023, when radical Hamas supporters attacked, abducted and killed Israeli citizens;
and he gave figures for the dead and injured in the Gaza Strip since the recent war there.
After the Third Reich, his church's place was on Israel's side, but Christians also had to see the suffering of the Palestinians.
There is “an uncomfortable place to be in between chairs,” says Steinbach.
One should not want to be right, but rather peace.
Both peoples have the right to exist, as formulated by the United Nations in 1948.
“As a Christian, you don’t have to oppose that,” emphasized Steinbach.
He doesn't want to take on the role of referee and doesn't want to assign blame to one side.
“We must endure the horror of this terrible war without immediately looking for explanations,” he said.
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“We won’t get anywhere with irreconcilable polemics”
He was disappointed about the cancellation of a peace prayer in Munich on November 6, 2023.
“Things went better a week later in Bad Tölz, when the interreligious peace prayer traditionally took place,” recalled Steinbach.
It must continue with prayer - including the world peace prayer on March 1st.
It was decided years ago that Palestine would be the focus.
But October 7, 2023 also led to upheavals here.
According to Steinbach, the official image was withdrawn after it was assumed that there was a hidden anti-Semitic message glorifying the radical struggle.
The painted image showed three Palestinian women praying in traditional colors.
“We won’t get anywhere with irreconcilable polemics,” he commented.
According to Steinbach, the same applies to Germany's reasons of state towards Israel.
Taking Israel's side solely out of historical duty does not lead to peace, said the former dean.
Overview of various peace initiatives
He finally turned his attention to peace initiatives that have been trying to win people over to reconciliation and understanding for years.
The “Combatants for Peace” were founded by Israelis and Palestinians, including many former fighters.
Steinbach reported on an Israeli from this organization who met Palestinians on an equal level for the first time at a seminar in Germany and learned about their suffering.
The members ensured personal encounters through theater, readings or visits to private homes.
Another initiative is called “Machsom Watch”, which consists only of women.
They observed military checkpoints, documented what was happening there every day, and continually actively mediated.
On the World Day of Prayer on March 1st, part of the collection will go to “Machsom Watch”.
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The Protestant Church is also committed to peace in the Holy Land
Last but not least, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Holy Land is also committed to peace.
According to Steinbach, it consists of only around 2,000 Christians who run kindergartens and schools.
Around 80 percent of the visitors are Muslims.
Common education for peace is fundamental.
Further ideas were formulated in the subsequent discussion.
Both sides face the same problems “in mirror image”.
Likewise, they only looked at their own side as victims, not at the other side as perpetrators.
Jewish fellow citizens in the Federal Republic of Germany must be given greater consideration by society as a whole.
And it should be borne in mind that the nation of Israel itself is deeply divided, especially by the current government.
(bib)