A prophet for Jews, a beacon for Christians,
a friend of Palestinians: three views of Mordechai Vanunu emerged September
26 at a Washington conference to rally supporters to his cause.
From Rabbi Phillip J. Bentley of Floral Park, New York, honorary president
of the Jewish Peace Fellowship-“It must have been terribly painful to him to
discover such a deep conflict between his Jewish identity and his moral sense.
He did what he did not to hurt his people or his nation, but out of an
overwhelming sense that Israel (and therefore he) was involved in
something he regarded as evil and wrong.”
From Elizabeth McAlister, Baltimore, co-founder of Jonah House,
a Christian peace and justice community-“Remembering what their treasure is,
what their gift to the human spirit is, what they are called to be
--the stunned contemporaries of the prophets---perhaps we can invite,
encourage, cajole Israeli sisters and brothers to open their hearts to
Mordechai, a prophet in their midst,…to open their spiritual treasures to a
world that is spiritually impoverished.”
From Mary Miller, Baltimore, executive secretary of the Episcopal Peace
Fellowship-“A senior and well-respected Palestinian Episcopal priest in
Jerusalem has told me that the community supports Mordechai and helps
when and however it can but does so very quietly and as anonymously
as possible for fear that their involvement can only make conditions in
prison and perhaps the possibility of his release worse for Mordechai.
I think they’re very likely right.”
