Accord Reached on Missionary Work

Representatives of about 50 Christian churches and organizations in Israel, including clerics from mainstream Protestant and Roman Catholic groups, said Wednesday that they would refrain from conducting aggressive missionary campaigns aimed at Jews.

The unprecedented Christian statement, made public Wednesday after months of negotiations between the churches and Israeli legislators, is intended to avert the threat of legislation that would seek to outlaw certain forms of proselytizing.

The proposed law, which could have criminalized the mailing--and possibly even the possession--of Christian missionary materials, had triggered opposition among local Christians as well as Israeli civil libertarians.

The Christian statement pledged “not to engage in activities, which have as their intention to alienate [Jews] from their tradition and community.”

The statement was drafted and endorsed by local clerics affiliated with a wide spectrum of churches ranging from Baptist and Lutheran to Anglican and Catholic, said Clarence Wagner, international chairman of Bridges for Peace, the evangelical Christian organization instrumental in drafting the document.