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Combatting hate crimes with a Jewish humanistic response

Ron Kronish | 01.09.2019

Last week, I visited an injured Israeli Muslim bus driver in the town of Abu Gosh, just west of Jerusalem. Abu Gosh is a friendly Israeli Arab town, which has many wonderful restaurants visited by secular Israelis on Shabbat and holidays, and which runs two great music festivals a year. Many of the people whom I have known for years in Abu Gosh are actively involved in the Association for the Promotion of Tolerance and Coexistence in the Judean Hills, a non-profit organization in the area. … [more]

Christianity and Judaism: a heightened friendship challenged by the return of anti-Semitism and ignorance

Lisa Palmieri-Billig* | 02.07.2019

In recent months, a series of events in Rome highlighted the excellent state of Jewish-Christian relations today, leading many representatives on both sides to exclaim that they have never been so good before. … [more]

Jesus and The Pharisees: an International Interreligious Conference

Lisa Palmieri-Billig* | 02.05.2019

The Pontifical Biblical Institute, Cardinal Bea Center, Gregorian University Foundation, American Jewish Committee and Italian Bishops Conference unite to reassess history and stereotypes. … [more]

Approaching Passover and Easter: The Past and Future of Jewish-Christian Relations

Ron Kronish | 01.05.2019

As we approach the holidays of Passover and Easter, we are mindful that this used to be a time of great tension historically between Christians and Jews. “Good Friday”–the Friday before Easter– was often a time of anti-Jewish pogroms in medieval Europe, with the blood libel and accompanying violence haunting the Jews all over Europe for centuries. … [more]

“The Roots of Jews and Christians are the Same, Our Future lies in recognizing this”

Lisa Palmieri-Billig* | 01.04.2019

A personal interview with Dr. Etienne Vetö, the priest who directs the Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies. … [more]

Opening the Vatican Archives: Will It Matter?

Ron Kronish | 01.04.2019

There will be no dramatic revelations about the Pope's Holocaust record -- and it's time for Jews to abandon that quest. … [more]

Behind the Scenes: Vatican Meetings on the Theology of Jewish-Christian Relations

Lisa Palmieri-Billig* | 01.02.2019

It has often been noted by those engaged in the Catholic-Jewish dialogue that the most precious outcome of the conciliation process begun after the promulgation in 1965 of the Vatican II document, Nostra Aetate, 4 has been the enduring personal friendships between members and representatives of the two faiths and the consequent increase in mutual understanding and breakdown of historically determined preconceptions. In other words, the building of mutual trust and familiarity with the other’s beliefs and traditions, is greatly boosted by the personal encounter. … [more]

Challenges Facing Jews and Muslims in America and Israel

Ron Kronish | 01.02.2019

I recently conducted a public dialogue with my friend and colleague Professor Mehnaz Afridi, an American Muslim woman of Pakistani origin, who teaches at a Catholic college —Manhattan College—in a Jewish neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. The dialogue took place at Conservative Synagogue Adat Israel Riverdale in the Bronx. … [more]

What my friendship with Pope Francis taught me about interfaith dialogue

Abraham Skorka | 01.02.2019

This February, I will be a participant with my friend Pope Francis at a “Global Conference on Human Fraternity” hosted by the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi. It seeks a common framework of cooperation among religious leaders to achieve peace and human solidarity. … [more]

What the Bible’s Romans 13 says about asylum – and what Jeff Sessions omitted

Casey Strine* | 30.06.2018

The US attorney general, Jeff Sessions, kicked up a storm when he invoked a line from the Bible to defend the Trump administration’s policy of separating thousands of parents and children during immigration investigations. … [more]