The American Jewish Committee announced on August 1 that the organization will donate $25,000 to help rebuild Holy Family Church in Gaza.
A global advocacy organization for the Jewish people will donate $25,000 to help rebuild Holy Family Church after it was attacked by a bomb, the group announced on August 1.
The American Jewish Coalition (AJC), which is headquartered in New York, worked with the Archdiocese of New York to make the donation.
"We are deeply saddened by the deaths, injuries, and structural damage at the Holy Family Church in Gaza and stand in solidarity with our Catholic brothers and sisters,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch in a statement. “We pray for the full recovery of the injured and the safety of all peoples affected by the devastation of war.”
Holy Family Church was hit by a bomb on July 17, 2025. Three people were killed and many, including the parish priest, were injured. The Israeli Defense Forces said that the church was "accidentally hit" and that it was not the target of the strike.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Pope Leo XIV after the attack and expressed regret that people were killed.
Jews and Catholics together
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, expressed his gratitude for the donation.
“We appreciate AJC’s expression of consolation and support and are thankful for the opportunity to do good as Jews and Catholics together in this way, to bring some light to the darkness of war,” said Cardinal Dolan in the statement published by the American Jewish Committee.
The Archdiocese of New York previously participated in an interreligious group that helped rebuild a home on a kibbutz that was damaged in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, said the American Jewish Coalition's statement.
The donation to rebuild the church is a way to "affirm the shared humanity of all," said Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee's director of interreligious affairs.
“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," he added.
Holy Family Church is the only Latin Catholic parish in the Gaza strip. Prior to the July 17 bombing, it hosted about 500 Christians who have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict.
AJC's goal is to "enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world," says its website.
