Gary Fitleberg, September 29, 2004

Presbyterian officials refused to back down from a decision calling for the church to divest from companies that do business with Israel.

The refusal came Tuesday during a meeting in New York between Jewish officials and leaders of the Presbyterian Church USA. After the meeting, church officials said they were eager for dialogue with Jews on the issue and expressed regret that the discussion had not taken place earlier. But they also insisted that the church would not back away from the decision, which passed by a 431-62 vote at the group's July gathering. "There's a natural divide in terms of perspectives. We see things through radically different lenses," said Rabbi Paul Menitoff, executive vice president of the Reform movement's Central Conference of American Rabbis.

Tuesday's meeting was the first opportunity for these Jewish religious leaders and organizational officials to express their unanimous, vehement opposition to the move.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2004 Gary Fitleberg