Dr. Rev. Steven Sizer, who attended a Holocaust-denial conference in Tehran, insists he’s only critical of Israel, not antisemitic.

By World Israel News Staff

A prominent Church of England vicar who met with Hezbollah commanders and posted on social media that Israel was the true perpetrator behind the September 11 terror attacks is facing removal from the church for antisemitism.

The British Board of Deputies, the umbrella organization of UK Jewry, filed a complaint with the church outlining 11 instances of antisemitic behavior by Dr. Rev. Steven Sizer, mainly focused on his social media and writing.

Sizer was suspended from his position as Vicar of an Anglican parish in Surrey after posting two separate articles claiming that Israel was the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The posts violated Sizer’s pledge to pause social media posts for six months after a previous complaint about earlier antisemitic posts.

His creation and reposting of antisemitic content fosters hatred against Jews, and is unbecoming for his role as public-facing church official, the Board of Deputies said.

But Sizer denies that he is bigoted against Jews, and claims that his posts are legitimate criticism of the state of Israel.

Although church tribunals are typically private, Sizer chose to make his public in order to “clear his name,” according to the Church Times.

The Board of Deputies was particularly concerned that Sizer met with Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, a “senior commander of Hezbollah forces” in Lebanon in 2006.

Nicholas Leviseur, the attorney representing the Board of Deputies at the tribunal, noted that Hezbollah does not distinguish between Israelis and Jews.

“Hezbollah is a parastatal organization with its own army which exists for the extermination of Israel and the Jews within it, but its use of language is what makes it so serious,” Leviseur said, according to UK media. “They never speak of Israel, it is always Jew, Jews and Jewry.”

Sizer’s lawyer claimed that he met with Hezbollah commandos in order to negotiate the release of Israeli soldiers held captive by the terror group — but did not provide any evidence or confirmation from authorities to support that claim.

In 2014, Sizer attended an anti-Israel, antisemitic conference in Tehran in which topics of discussion included “Zionist Fingerprints on the 9/11 Cover-up” and “9/11 and the Holocaust as pro-Zionist ‘Public myths.’”

In 2018, he wrote on Facebook that former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was ousted for his cover-up of widespread antisemitsim within the party, was “a victim of the hidden hands of Zionists.”

The tribunal is currently ongoing, and a ruling is expected next week.

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The president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews said that the vicar’s opinions were “enough to make me sick forever.”

By Ben Cohen, The Algemeiner

A Church of England cleric is facing expulsion after an internal tribunal heard of his involvement in pushing Holocaust denial, conspiracy theories related to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist atrocities and similar content rooted in antisemitic prejudice.

The Rev. Stephen Sizer, who was ordained in 1984, is the subject of a clergy disciplinary hearing examining 11 separate cases of antisemitic agitation between 2005 and 2018. The case, which is being heard in the courtroom of St Andrew’s Church in central London, is the first of its kind to be held in public.

The hearing was told on Monday that throughout the period under examination, Sizer had appeared on platforms alongside Holocaust deniers and shared antisemitic material on social media, including posting a link to an article titled “The Mother of All Coincidences,” which sought to blame Israel for the 9/11 attacks carried out by Al Qaeda in New York and Washington, DC, as well as another piece with the headline, “9-11: Israel did it.”

In 2014, The Algemeiner reported on Sizer’s presence at the so-called “New Horizons” conference hosted in Tehran by the Iranian regime.

Also attending the same event were the French-Cameroonian provocateur and comedian, Dieudonne M’bala M’bala, the originator of the antisemitic “quenelle” gesture; Thierry Meyssan, the French author of a book claiming that the 9/11 atrocities were carried out not by Al Qaeda, but by the U.S. government; Ahmed Rami, a former Moroccan army officer who set up the violently antisemitic “Radio Islam” website based in Sweden; and Manuel Ochsenreiter, a German far-right activist.

On his return from Iran, Sizer angrily rebuked his critics, arguing that “Jesus called his followers to be ambassadors of reconciliation” and warning that those “who criticize this kind of conference must think very carefully of the consequences of their words for Jews and Christians in countries like Iran.”

Speaking at Monday’s tribunal, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which brought the complaint against Sizer, said that the vicar’s opinions were “enough to make me sick forever.”

“There is a whole series of behaviors in the complaint that you cannot say are not antisemitic,” Marie van der Zyl said. “It is so hurtful, especially the stuff about the Holocaust. It’s really awful.”

Defended by Jeremy Corbyn

In 2012, Sizer posted a link on his Facebook page, later deleted, to an article promoting Holocaust denial.

Among those who rose to Sizer’s defense in this matter was the former leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, who claimed that the posting of the link was a “technical oversight,” and that Sizer’s critics were “intent on discrediting the excellent work that Stephen does in highlighting the injustices of the Palestinian-Israeli situation.”

Sizer’s conduct is alleged to have been “unbecoming or inappropriate to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders.” The case against him states that he “provoked and offended the Jewish community and/or engaged in antisemitic behavior.”

Nicholas Leviseur, the barrister making the case against Sizer, argued that the vicar displayed “deliberate behavior which we say is difficult to characterize as anything other than antisemitic.”

Stephen Hofmeyr, who is representing Sizer, countered that the vicar had “written a book in which he says that racism is a sin and so is antisemitism, and both must be repudiated unequivocally.”

He also insisted that there was a clear distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, asserting that “the former is directed against Jewish people, the latter is against the movement to establish a Jewish state in the Middle East.”

Hofmeyr added that if Sizer’s “words or conduct have been antisemitic, he accepts that will amount to misconduct.”

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“The historic trauma of medieval English anti-Semitism can never be erased,” said the director of a UK Jewish NGO.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

The Church of England announced that it intends to apologize to the Jewish community for its role in promoting anti-Semitism, which culminated in the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290 — despite the fact that the Church was not established until centuries later.

According to the Telegraph, the church plans to perform a “symbolic repentance” during a service this Sunday, on the 800-year anniversary of the Synod of Oxford.

The 1222 Synod of Oxford set forth a number of discriminatory laws aimed at the Jewish communities, including that Jews must wear badges differentiating them from gentiles and pay higher taxes than other citizens.

The Church of England will take responsibility for general Christian anti-Semitism in England that predates its establishment, as the institution came into being in 1534.

“The phrase ‘better late than never’ is truly appropriate here,” Dave Rich, policy director at Jewish watchdog group Community Security Trust, told the Telegraph.

“The historic trauma of medieval English anti-Semitism can never be erased and its legacy survives today — for example, through the persistence of the ‘blood libel’ allegation that was invented in this country.

“But at a time of rising anti-Semitism, the support and empathy of the Church of England for our Jewish community is most welcome as a reminder that the Britain of today is a very different place,” Rich said.

On the heels of the May 2021 Israel-Hamas clash, British Jews have suffered from an uptick in anti-Semitism. In one incident, pro-Palestinian protesters called for the rape of Jewish women.

A statement from UK NGO Campaign Against Antisemitism praised the church for its decision, saying it has “much to repent for” in terms of fostering a culture of anti-Semitism.

“The Church of England, inspired by decrees from Rome, was absolutely central to the horrific anti-Semitism suffered by English Jews in the Middle Ages, including…the invention of the blood libel, massacres and the first national expulsion of an entire Jewish community from a European country.

“For the Church to confront its past is laudable, and we commend the Church of England for taking this historic step, which sends a powerful message not just about historic misdeeds but about how our faiths and society can better themselves today.”

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It suggests that readers say the Hebrew prayer ‘Shema Israel’ – a key principle of the Jewish faith – and hold a dinner meal in which guests perform certain rituals lifted from the Passover seder.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

The Church of England apologized last Thursday for a prayer booklet and video that appeared to encourage Christians to adopt elements of the Jewish Passover seder.

The Jewish Chronicle reported that St. Mary’s Islington, a London-based parish, published a prayer book ahead of Maundy Thursday that was strikingly similar to the Passover Haggadah.

It suggests that readers say the Hebrew prayer Shema Israel, a fundamental principle of the Jewish faith, and hold a dinner meal in which guests perform certain rituals lifted from the Passover Seder.

The booklet states that the youngest person present at the meal should ask, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” The reply should be, “Once we were slaves in the land of Egypt, but the Lord rescued us on this holy night. That is why this night is special, and different from all other nights.”

Another suggested dialogue included in the booklet is a guest asking, “Why on this night do we eat only unleavened bread?”

The appropriate reply should be, “We eat unleavened bread because there was no time that night to let it rise.”

The Church’s National Interreligious Affairs Advisor, Dr. Richard Sudworth, apologized in a statement which said, “The brief prayers and actions are not, and were not, intended to be a Christianized seder, as the text pointed out.”

Sudworth said the Church’s intention was to bring Christians back to the roots of the Easter holiday, not to imitate the Passover seder.

He said that the “prayers and readings were offered to help families be mindful of the events of the original Last Supper, and the framing context of the feast of the Passover to Jesus and the disciples, connecting with our Christian Bible texts for this day.”

Essentially stating that the booklet was a matter of bad optics, the Church concluded by saying that they “do not wish to encourage an impression that was not intended by the resource and apologize for any offense caused.”

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The 121-page report said attitudes towards Judaism over centuries had provided a “fertile seed-bed for murderous anti-Semitism.” 

By JNS

Christian theology played a part in the stereotyping and persecution of Jewish people that ultimately led to the Holocaust, according to a new report released by the Church of England on Thursday.

Titled “God’s Unfailing Word: Theological and Practical Perspectives on Christian-Jewish Relations,” the 121-page report said attitudes towards Judaism over centuries had provided a “fertile seed-bed for murderous anti-Semitism,” and that Anglicans and other Christians must repent for the “sins of the past,” as well as actively challenge anti-Semitic attitudes or stereotypes.

“The attribution of collective guilt to the Jewish people for the death of Christ and the consequent interpretation of their suffering as collective punishment sent by God is one very clear example of that,” the report said. “Within living memory, such ideas contributed to fostering the passive acquiescence if not positive support of many Christians in actions that led to the Holocaust.

“Christians have been guilty of promoting and fostering negative stereotypes of Jewish people that have contributed to grave suffering and injustice. They therefore have a duty to be alert to the continuation of such stereotyping and to resist it.”

The report also called on Christians to be “sensitive to Jewish fears” and encouraged followers of the Church to rediscover the relationship of “unique significance” between the two faiths. The bond should be viewed as a “gift of God to the Church” to be received with care, respect and gratitude, it said.

The report’s section on Israel defends the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and classifies some of the approaches and language used by pro-Palestinian advocates as “indeed reminiscent of what could be called traditional anti-Semitism.”

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