(ZENIT News / New York, 08.03.2025).- On July 31, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) announced a US$25,000 donation to help rehabilitate the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, a gesture that speaks louder than politics and transcends religious boundaries.
The Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza, was struck on July 17 by what the Israel Defense Forces described as a misfired tank shell. The incident left three civilians dead and several others injured, including the parish priest. For the dwindling Christian population of Gaza—numbering only about 1,000 before the war and fewer now—this blow was both physical and symbolic.
For nearly two years, the church has provided shelter and sustenance not only to Christians, but to Muslims as well, forming a fragile sanctuary amid destruction. Its doors remained open to hundreds as the war between Israel and Hamas continued to reshape the lives of millions. The Church was not merely a building, but a sign of endurance, faith, and interreligious community.
The AJC’s donation comes from a place deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and modern responsibility. While the organization is principally committed to Jewish welfare and the security of Israel, its director of interreligious affairs, Rabbi Noam Marans, emphasized a broader mission: compassion toward all innocent lives shattered by war. «Our concern and empathy extend beyond the Jewish people to all of humanity,» he said. «Especially to the innocent caught in this terrible conflict.»
This act of support is not merely financial. It carries emotional weight, especially in light of Pope Francis’s personal attachment to the Christian community in Gaza. Even during his final illness, the Pope made efforts to call and encourage them nightly. His successor, Pope Leo XIV, and Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa have continued to voice strong solidarity. Pizzaballa recently visited the damaged church, reaffirming the Vatican’s deep care for the faithful in Gaza.
The aid will be distributed through the Archdiocese of New York and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association—longstanding partners in humanitarian relief. The Archdiocese, under Cardinal Timothy Dolan, has also been active in broader interfaith collaboration, including efforts to rebuild Israeli communities devastated by the Hamas attacks of October 7.
The war, ignited by the brutal assault of Hamas last October, has left staggering losses on both sides. More than 60,000 Palestinians have died, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. In this context, the church’s damage—though tragic—has drawn attention to a more intimate narrative: that of people clinging to hope in the shadow of overwhelming violence.
Rabbi Marans, reflecting on the donation, said it was both “a tangible way to help” and a moral declaration. That declaration echoes far beyond Gaza. It speaks of a faith in shared humanity, even when political and religious identities seem to clash most violently. It affirms that amid war, bridges can still be built—not merely to connect communities, but to preserve the human dignity that war so often tries to erase.
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