JTA — The American Jewish Committee announced this week that it is giving $25,000 to the Archdiocese of New York to aid in repairs of Gaza’s Holy Family Church, which was damaged by an Israeli strike last month.
The donation is notable because it marks a rare if not unprecedented donation by a mainstream US Jewish group for Gaza Palestinians while Israel is at war in the enclave. It also responds to damage caused by Israel’s operations, which the AJC and other major Jewish groups have refrained from criticizing.
The damage to Holy Family drew widespread condemnation last month, with critics of Israel alleging that its army was attacking Christians in Gaza and that it had destroyed the enclave’s only Catholic church.
The pope lamented the incident, in which three people were killed and others injured.
It soon became clear that while there was damage to the church during the July 17 incident, it was not destroyed. Israel said the damage was caused by “stray ammunition” from a nearby operation and the church was not targeted.
The AJC’s announcement of the donation notes Israel’s explanation and says the organization was seeking to demonstrate that the Jewish-Catholic alliance, which the group has sought to nurture for decades, can withstand the war.
“In the wake of this tragedy, we want to be there for Catholic partners who have been there for the Jewish people in our times of need,” the AJC’s director of interreligious affairs, Rabbi Noam Marans, said in a statement. “Together, as Christians and Jews, we can affirm the shared humanity of all.”
After much criticism, the IDF last week published the results of its probe into the strike on the church, saying it was “unintentionally hit” due to a “misfired munition during IDF activity in the area.”
The incident, which the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said killed three people and injured several others including parish priest Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, sparked international condemnation and an expression of “deep sorrow” from Israel. The Foreign Ministry said at the time that Israel “never targets churches or religious sites.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this article.