Brian Duss
Template:TOCnestleft Brian Duss
Radical Duss family
Matt Duss' father Serge Duss serves as a top official at Kairos USA, the American affiliate of church groups that have pushed for boycotts of the Jewish state and accused it of "war crimes."
Kairos’ Canadian affiliate had a $7 million government grant revoked in 2009 due to what officials said was the group’s anti-Israel activism and support of Jewish boycotts.
Kairos USA has taken similarly controversial positions, decrying "injustice in Palestine" in a 2012 "Call to Action" that Christian critics said unfairly demonized Israel.
"Kairos USA's 2012 ‘Call to Action’ is deeply troubling," said David Brog, executive director of Christians United for Israel . "By failing to mention—let alone condemn—Palestinian terror, Kairos USA forfeits any claim to moderation."
"Kairos may claim to understand the Middle East, but the history they tell ignores Israel’s serious peace offers and the repeated, violent rejections thereof," Brog said.
Additionally, Serge Duss has come under fire for publicly promoting a controversial theory that claims modern Israelis are not descended from Biblical Jews.
During a speech at the 2011 J Street conference, Duss pushed back against the "belief that the modern state of Israel and modern Israelis are the extension of the Children of Israel of the Old Testament," according to a recording of his remarks.
CUFI’s Brog condemned Duss’s comments at the time.
"It was deeply disappointing to learn that J Street gave a platform for Serge Duss to deny the heritage of the Jewish people," Brog told the Free Beacon when the statements came to light. "We’ve learned from bitter history that theologies which posit Jewish rejection and replacement often open the door to anti-Semitism.
Serge Duss also spent 18 years as the director of policy and advocacy at World Vision, a Christian nonprofit group that has vociferously chastised Israel and promoted what critics say is an anti-Israel agenda.
"World Vision has basically been an anti-Israel charity for a long time," said CAMERA’s Dexter Van Zile. "When they talk about Israel they basically demonize the Jewish state."
Brian Duss, the youngest Duss, is the former "public engagement manager" of World Vision’s branch in "Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza," according to his LinkedIn profile.
Duss discussed his views on Israel last year during a video interview that centered on his time "living in Palestine."
"I think we need to rethink some of our policies in the Middle East, whether it’s the U.S. government, the British government, or Israel and how Israel treats her neighbors, because there’s some pretty strong warnings in Jewish scripture about what will happen if you don’t respect the widow and the orphan and the alien among you," Duss said.
"Go see for yourself some of the reality on the ground and see some of the ridiculous things that are going on," Duss said. "And the things that are going on, I don’t think it’s too bold to say they are sinful."
"I would be a horrible person to overlook what is going on here and not do anything about it," he adds.
Brian Duss currently works as the director of communications at Sojourners, a Christian "social justice" organization that has rallied against "Israeli apartheid" and accused the Jewish state of driving out Christians.
Sojourners "basically offers up an image of what progressive Christians should be and their vision is that you’re going to view Israel as the enemy," said Van Zile. "All of these folks are part of a campaign to undermine support for Israel in the Evangelical community."
Brian Duss has taken to Twitter in the past to express his support for Richard Goldstone, the controversial author of a now discredited United Nations report that falsely accused Israel of committing war crimes.
Additionally, he has wondered via Twitter, "Why are so many Israeli politicians rapists?"[1]