Reflecting on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Liturgical Reflection

Faith & Remembrance: The Call for Reconciliation

Reflecting on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today, January 27, marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This date coincides with the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and serves as a global moment to honor the six million Jewish victims and millions of others murdered by the Nazi regime.

For the Anglican community, this day has sparked deep theological reflection on the relationship between the Church and the Jewish people. The Prayer Book Society of Canada (PBSC) has recently addressed this through the scholarship surrounding their new "Collect for Reconciliation with the Jews."

The Call for Reconciliation

The United Nations' designation of January 27 invites us to confront the "darkness that can take hold of the human spirit." For Christians, this is a time to reflect on the frailty of our commitment to the belief that all humanity is made in the image of God (Imago Dei).

A Collect for Reconciliation with the Jews

O GOD, who didst choose Israel to be thine inheritance: have mercy upon us and forgive us for violence and wickedness against our brother Jacob; the arrogance of our hearts and minds hath deceived us, and shame hath covered our face. Take away all pride and prejudice in us, and grant that we, together with the people whom thou didst first make thine own, may attain to the fulness of redemption which thou hast promised; to the honour and glory of thy most holy Name. Amen.

A Biblical Archetype: Jacob & Esau

The prayer draws heavily on the Book of Obadiah, using the twin brothers Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom) as a metaphor for the relationship between Jews and Christians. By identifying the Church’s past "arrogance" with Esau’s failure to protect his brother Jacob, the liturgy acknowledges a "testamental wound."

Common Origins

Both Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity emerged from the same Hebrew scriptural roots in the 1st century.

Irrevocable Calling

As St. Paul notes in Romans 11, God’s gifts and calling to Israel are irrevocable.

Liturgical Significance

The ending of this collect was adjusted from the standard "through Jesus Christ" to "to the honour and glory of thy most holy Name." This intentionally echoes the Jewish Mourner’s Kaddish, allowing the Church to mourn its sins in harmony with the mourning of "our brother Jacob."

Based on the rationale by the Rev. Chris Dow for the Prayer Book Society of Canada.