INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC-JEWISH LIAISON COMMITTEE
15th MEETING
Jerusalem, 23-26 May 1994
The fifteenth meeting of the International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee [ILC] took piace on May 23-26 1994 in Jerusalem, Israel. The ILC brings together the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultation (IJCIC). This was the ILC's second meeting in Israel, the previous one having taken piace in 1976. The nature of the dialogue over the years, as expressed by co-chairs Cardinal Edward Cassidy and Dr. Geoffrey Wigoder, is that of "two ancient religious communities coming together in a spirit of mutuai esteem and reciprocity ".
The co-chairs in their opening presentations noted that the warmth of the present encounter was enhanced by its new and encouraging setting in the context of the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel, signed on December 30, 1993. This atmosphere was reflected at a dinner hosted by the President of the World Jewish Congress, Edgar M. Bronfman, under the auspices of the Israel Council of Foreign Relations. Dr. Yossi Beilin, Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Archbishop Andrea di Montezemolo, Special Representative to the State of Israel. Both noted that the Agreement constitutes a significant moment in the history of the relationship between the Holy See and the State of Israel, which will also bring positive consequences for relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people. WJC Secretary General, Rabbi Israel Singer, referred to the many obstacles that had been overcome between the two religious communities to reach the current, more positive state of relations. The meeting was greeted by the mayor of Jerusalem, Ehud Olmert.
Appreciation was expressed by the ILC for the commitment in the Fundamental Agreement by the Holy See and the State of Israel to work together to combat all forms of antisemitism and all kinds of racism and of religious intolerance. It was proposed that appropriate means of contact be worked out between these efforts and the parallel commitment to fight antisemitism taken by the ILC in Prague in 1990.
For its sessions on "The Family: Traditional Perceptions and Contemporary Realities", the group moved to the Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, where they were greeted by the Mayor of Tel Aviv, Ronni Milo. Papers were presented by Dr. Cari Anderson of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington. D.C.; Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, President of the Synagogue Council of America; and Lord Immanuel Jakobovits, former Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth. There followed a lively exchange of views on the many challenges facing marriage and the family in the " post-modern" world. While noting differences in perspective needing further study, the group discerned significant convergent values, as exemplified in the text of the "Joint Declaration on the Family", approved by the meeting.
In another session, two papers on Ecology were presented as the beginning of a process to be followed up in the future. These were by Sr. Marjorie Keenan, RSCM, of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and Rabbi Norman Solomon of the Centre for the Study of Judaism and Jewish-Christian Relations, Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, U.K. The two papers revealed what Solomon called " profound common underlying values " for understanding and responding to global crises. Both began with reference to the opening chapters of Genesis, affirming the goodness of God's creation and human responsibility or " stewardship" for it. Both sought practical consequences of that shared biblical vision in view of the complex challenges of today, ranging from disposal of nuclear and other waste to the preservation of various species in view of what Keenan described as "the inalienable dignity of the human person". Many other common themes emerged. As Archbishop William H. Keeler of Baltimore summarized, " the potential for dialogue is as great as the issues are urgent".
In the framework of an exchange of information, prof. Hans Herman Henrix, Director of the Bischedliche Akademie des Bistums Aachen, reported on the progress in drafting a statement on Antisemitism and the Shoah by a working group of German Catholics for a statement intended to be issued by the Vatican, as first announced in 1987. The German group has also discussed some perspectives of its draft statement with the Commission for Dialogue of the Polish Bishops Conference. This report was warmly welcomed by the Jewish delegation for the " spirit and direction" of the work in progress.
Reports on the wide range of educational advances in Catholic educational approaches to the presentation of Jews and Judaism were given for Poland by Archbishop Henryk Muszynski of Gniezno, for the French Episcopal Conference by Rev. Jean Dujardin of Paris, and for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops [U.S.A.] by Dr. Eugene J. Fisher of Washington, D.C. A special expression of appreciation was made by the Jewish delegation for the extensive work of the Polish Bishops. Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granafoor and Rabbi Henry Sobel also intervened with information on work done in Jewish educational institutions.
Dr. Gerhart Riegner, Honorary Vice-President of the World Jewish Congress spoke on " The Future Role of the ILC". He affirmed the sense of the present moment as one of new beginnings and opportunities in the light of recent developments. He urged a basic re-thinking of the work of the ILC and its methodology. Noting that 1995 has been proclaimed the " International Year of Tolerance" by the United Nations, he proposed a concentration on this subject in the coming year. It was also agreed that the issue of human rights must be a top priority in the work of the Committee. The meeting also endorsed his suggestion to promote the spirit of the dialogue in other regions, including certain countries of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. and discussed the possibility of sending joint missions to these areas and holding regional Conferences.
A special moment of the conference was the meeting with President Ezer Weizmann in his residence. Greetings were given by Edgar M. Bronfman and Cardinal Cassidy. The group also visited Yad Vashem where it was addressed by Dr. Josef Burg, chairman of its International Council, on " The Shoah in National and Religious Perspective ". A delegation from the ILC was received by Chief Rabbi Israel Lau at the Chief Rabbinate.
The ILC visited the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem for a session under the auspices of the Israel Jewish Committee for interreligious Relations [IJCIR] and the Interreligious Coordinating Committee in Israel. Rabbi David Rosen of the Anti-Defamation League and Rev. Thomas Stransky, CSP, Rector of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute, addressed the state of interreligious relations in Israel.
On the last day, the group travelled to Galilee to Kibbutz Lavi, where Prof. Menachem Rosner spoke on " Family Life in the Kibbutz ". They concluded with a visit to Nazareth where they met with Catholic families.
Cardinal Cassidy summarized the meeting when he quoted Pope John Paul II's saying that through dialogue "we can become blessings to one another, not forgetting the past but looking to a future of cooperation".
Jerusalem, Israel May 26 1994 16 Sivan 5754