In light of the arson attack over the weekend at the Church of All Nations – Garden of Gethsemane, an OTS delegation met with the Custos of the Holy Land, Francesco Patton, in a visit of solidarity.

“When a religious Jew sets fire to a church, it our duty to condemn this chilul Hashem,” said OTS President and Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Kenneth Brander. “Religious intolerance has no place in the State of Israel, which champions the right to religious freedom and belief.”

In addition to Rabbi Brander, the delegation included Director of OTS’s Center for Jewish Christian Understanding and Cooperation David Nekrutman, Director of OTS’s Blickle Center for Interfaith Dialogue Rabbi Dr. Yakov Nagen, and others.

“This togetherness allows light to illuminate even in the darkest of moments,” Rabbi Brander said.