Three Christian institutions were badly damaged by fires set by arsonists early today. Police investigating the attacks indicated they were probably the work of Jewish religious zealots hostile to Christians and particularly against missionary activities The acts were promptly denounced by Mayor Teddy Kollek and by Dr. Zerach Warhaftig, the Minister for Religious Affairs.
No one was hurt in the fires that were set at the Baptist Community Center and bookstore in downtown Jerusalem; the House of Zion Institute; and the Swedish Theological Institute. The latter is run by the Swedish Church and offers six-month courses for theology students from Scandinavia. Books were destroyed in the Baptist Center. The hardest hit was the House of Zion Institute, run by Charles Kop, a Pentecostalist from Los Angeles, which is suspected of missionary activities. Hundreds of Bibles and other books were reported ruined.
The two most vociferously anti-missionary groups here, the Jewish Defense League and the Anti-Missionary Society, denied today that they had anything to do with the arson and condemned it. Dr. Warhaftig condemned the use of force in the fight against missionary institutions and expressed regret that “irresponsible elements” had damaged Christian premises and property, including organizations that did not engage in missionizing. Kollek offered the three institutions financial help from the city to repair the damage.
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