American Jewish Committee donates $25,000 to repair Holy Family Church in Gaza

By Madalaine Elhabbal

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 5, 2025 /
15:16 pm

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has announced that it will donate $25,000 toward the reconstruction of Holy Family Church in Gaza following the devastating missile attack that caused severe damage to the only Catholic church in the area.

“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,” group CEO Ted Deutch said in an Aug. 1 press release.

“We pray for the full recovery of the injured and the safety of all peoples affected by the devastation of war,” Deutch said.

The global Jewish advocacy group, which is headquartered in New York City, said in the release that the funds will be distributed to the Gaza parish through the Archdiocese of New York with the help of Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

“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,” Dolan said in the release.

The organization expressed gratitude to Dolan and the New York Archdiocese as well as the Catholic Near East Welfare Association for its help “in enabling AJC to do what is right and consistent with Jewish values.”

The group recalled when the archdiocese was part of an interreligious coalition that donated funds to help rebuild homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 

“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. Together, as Christians and Jews, we can affirm the shared humanity of all,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, the committee’s director of interreligious affairs.

The donation comes after the Israeli military said Holy Family was “mistakenly” hit during an Israeli strike on July 17. Three individuals — Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, 60; Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, 84; and Najwa Abu Daoud, 70 — were fatally wounded by shrapnel that scattered across the compound after the strike, and 15 were injured. 

Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of the parish, was among those injured during the strike. He described the damage to the church to “EWTN Noticias” in an exclusive interview on July 24, calling the incident a “shocking experience.”

“Shrapnel flew in all directions,” he recounted. 

Holy Family Church has served as a shelter for more than 600 people since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023, including Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims.

Madalaine Elhabbal is a staff reporter for Catholic News Agency based at EWTN’s Washington, D.C., bureau.