"In fight against antisemitism, Israel steps up U.S. Catholic outreach"

"JERUSALEM — The Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism (CCAA), a lay-led U.S. organization established in late 2023 that 'affirms the right of the Jewish people to live safely and securely in their ancestral homeland' as well as recognizes that 'modern Israel is essential to that security,' has emerged as a leading resource in the Government of Israel’s outreach to American Catholics, who constitute the country’s largest single religious constituency.

Tammy Ben-Haim, head of religious and interfaith affairs at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told EWTN News that a May meeting in Washington, D.C., with CCAA Director Simone Rizkallah, a first-generation American of Egyptian-Armenian descent, convinced her of the importance of engaging the organization and its supporters.

'I was so impressed by Simone and the vision she had for the organization to combat antisemitism,' including CCAA’s network of key influencers throughout the American Catholic world, Ben-Haim said.

Signatories to the CCAA’s 'Statement of Solidarity and Action,' a statement developed in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel that also affirms the above-referenced right of the Jewish people 'should not jeopardize the right of Palestinians to also live in safety and security,' include dozens of the country’s top Catholic thought leaders and personalities.

'When Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) decided to begin engaging Catholics more proactively and wanted to design a trip specifically for Catholic leaders, it made sense that they would reach out to us,' Rizkallah said.

As a result, the MFA organized a government-sponsored weeklong trip for 13 American Catholic influencers (including EWTN News) that addressed firsthand both concerns for the security of Israelis in the country’s Gaza and Lebanon border regions as well as honest discussions with Israeli Arab and Palestinian Catholics about the conditions and challenges they face.

Signaling the importance of the initiative, the government of Israel highlighted the group’s visit on social media, noting that the journey of the American Catholic community leaders was one of 'friendship and solidarity' that served to both 'deepen their commitment to standing against antisemitism and strengthening the bonds between Christians and Jews.'"