The Church of England Apologizes for Centuries-Old Anti-Jewish Laws

On Sunday, Britain’s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, attended a service at Christ Church cathedral in Oxford to mark the 800th anniversary of the Synod of Oxford. As Harriet Sherwood reports, the synod “passed laws forbidding social interactions between Jews and Christians, forcing Jews to wear identifying badges, imposing church tithes on them, and banning them from certain professions. They were also forbidden from building new synagogues.” Sherwood sketches the evolution and repercussions of these rules, and examines the significance of the Church of England’s decision this year to apologize formally to the Jewish community for its “shameful actions.”