More than 35 Orthodox rabbis from Israel, the United States and Europe are making an extraordinary plea for an end to the "toxic" history between Jews and Christians – and the beginning of cooperation "as partners to address the moral challenges of our era."
"We are no longer enemies, but unequivocal partners in articulating the essential moral values for the survival and welfare of humanity,"
the statement declares.
"Neither of us can achieve G-d’s mission in this world alone."
The statement is a breakthrough in Christian and Jewish relations, Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation tells
Breitbart News.
"This proclamation’s breakthrough is that influential Orthodox rabbis across all centers of Jewish life have finally acknowledged that Christianity and Judaism are no longer engaged in a theological duel to the death and that Christianity and Judaism have much in common spiritually and practically," he said.
"Given our toxic history, this is unprecedented in Orthodoxy.”
The plea for unity comes 50 years after the Roman Catholic Church's
Second Vatican Council set Jewish-Christian relations on a new track with a document known as Nostra Aetate that declared the "spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews," and condemned anti-Semitism, and the hatred and persecution of Jews.
"We recognize that since the Second Vatican Council the official teachings of the Catholic Church about Judaism have changed fundamentally and irrevocably," the rabbis' statement notes.
"The promulgation of Nostra Aetate fifty years ago started the process of reconciliation between our two communities."
"Catholics and other Christian officials started an honest dialogue with Jews that has grown during the last five decades," the rabbis' statement adds. "We appreciate the Church’s affirmation of Israel’s unique place in sacred history and the ultimate world redemption. Today Jews have experienced sincere love and respect from many Christians that have been expressed in many dialogue initiatives, meetings and conferences around the world."
According to Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, one of the rabbis who initiated the statement, the "real importance of this Orthodox statement is that it calls for fraternal partnership between Jewish and Christian religious leaders, while also acknowledging the positive theological status of the Christian faith," Breitbart News reports.
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