AWARD WINNER FOR WORST SERMON TITLE

Apologies in Maine over Jewish ad (JTA)
The minister at a Maine church apologized for a newspaper ad touting a sermon titled “The only way to destroy the Jewish race.” In a statement Monday, the Rev. Philip Andrukaitis of the South Portland Baptist Church wrote, “Please forgive me for causing alarm in your hearts.”

The sermon actually was about fighting anti-Semitism and supporting Israel and Judaism. “When you read it, it is absolutely pro-Israel and pro-Jewish,” said Emily Sandberg, executive director of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine. “It’s the title that is absolutely inappropriate.”

The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, which published the ad Saturday, also apologized for what it called an “oversight” and said safeguards had been put in place to avoid a recurrence.

The Portland Reform synagogue Bet Ha’am featured the ad in a Sunday Hebrew school session with 50 middle- and high-school students.

Andrew Tarsy, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said he hoped to meet with Andrukaitis and Jewish community leaders concerning the incident.