WASHINGTON – The need to encourage "an open and honest socio-cultural dialogue" between Catholic and Jewish leaders based on "solid mutual respect" following the recent Vatican declaration on the Jews was stressed here tonight (Friday, November 27) by a leading American rabbi, who called upon the Orthodox Jewish community to play a greater role in intergroup relations. In an address to the 66th Anniversary National Biennial Convention of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Rabbi Norman Lamm of the Jewish Center, New York, and lecturer in philosophy at Yeshiva University, said that on the social, cultural, and political levels, "Jews must engage in full and earnest dialogue with all other Americans. In this area, Orthodox Jews have been delinquent in the past. We must no longer sit aside and look with disdain upon history; we must participate in it fully."Rabbi Lamm, who was the founder andfirst editor of Tradition, the organ of the Rabbinical Council of America, hailed the Vatican statement c-a the Jews as "a historic turning point." while noting that the statement was "essentially evangelical" and that it "intends a universal affirmation of the foundations of Christianity," Rabbi Lamm told the 1,800 delegates that "in this the Catholics are completely within their rights and Jews can have no ׳uarrel with such efforts, provided they are open, undisguised and accord with tse methods of a free society, On our part, we shall 0^נ1״ to cherish the eschatological visions of the Jewish prophets,to whom the "end of days' means that each people will abandon idolatry and return to the Lord, each in its own idiom and according t'o itsown inner nature and traditions."moreUOJCA BIENNIAL CONVENTION -2- REL. NO. VThe Jewish religious leader criticized, however, what he termed a "negative" attitude of the Church towards the State of Israel. A state that is recognized by all the West, by Communist countries and by some Moslem nations", he declared, "is still ign…

The Board of Directors of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America at a special meeting on Wednesday, April 19th, called to discuss the implications of Interreligious Conferences and Dialogues, decided unanimously to accept a recommendation of the officers of the organization "not to participate in, and to dissociate itself from, the Interreligious Conference scheduled to take place in Boston" on May 7th, The Conference is sponsored by the Synagogue Council of America, the National Council of Churches, and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Rabbi Joseph Karasick, UOJCA President, in announcing the unanimous decision of the Board, stated that the officers had arrived at this recommendation on March 6th, upon his proposal. In view of the importance of the issue, it was decided, however, to submit this matter to the entire Board. The motion to withdraw from the Conference was made by Harold M. Jacobs, Chairman of the Board, who relinquished the Chair in order to participate in the discussion and to move the adoption of the officers’ recommendation. The Directors of the Orthodox Union also decided not to authorize henceforth the participation by the Synagogue Council in similar conferences. As a member of the Synagogue Council of America, the Orthodox congregational body must give its consent to any such participation by the Synagogue Council. The resolution embodying both decisions reads: "The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America shall officially notify the Synagogue Council of America as follows: The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America will not participate in, and dissociates itself from, the Interreligious Conference scheduled to take place in Boston in May under the sponsorship of the Synagogue Council of America, the National Council of Churches and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. "It is the position of our Union that interreligious dialogues or colloquiums — whether or not intended to involve inter-ch…

At the Jewish-Christian consultation at Lugano, two main themes were recommended for further study: (1) The Quest for World Community: Jewish and Christian Perspectives (2) Jewish and Christian Perspectives on the Relationship to each other and the Relation with Men of Other Faiths. Obviously, this programme was too ambitious. It will not be possible to deal with both themes. Priority needs to be given to the first. It has a great advantage in that it directs our attention to the present situation of the world. It does not start from an analysis of our traditions, but rather looks at a problem mankind is facing today. This theme may provide the possibility and opportunity for cooperation.The following six points will need to be developed in the paper we plan to work out together:World CommunityWhat do we understand by this term? We are faced with the phenomenon! of an increasing inter-dependence. This constitutes a challenge to Jews and Christians alike. We need to remember that this growing inter-dependence is ambivalent. It presents us with new possibilities of relationships but also with new conflicts and threats; there is the danger of selfdestruction of humanity. Therefore, this ambivalence of the growing inter-depen- donco should be stated.The meaning of the different terms should be made clear. Should we distinguish between "world order" or "-society" as a maximum to be hoped for in this world and thus reserve the word ’community’ for the eschatological fulfilment? Discussion of the terms would be required.2. The Common Specificity of the Jewish-Christian TraditionJews and Christians share a common tradition. Is it correct to say that we share an understanding of man and his role in history - of man created in the image of God? Freedom and dignity, justice, etc. are important factors for a world community. These concepts must be spelled out. On the one hand our situation is the result of human activity; on the other hand we experience today all the limitatio…

At the request of the Jewish–Christian Consultation in Lugano (October 1970), a group of Jewish and Christian scholars met in Geneva in April 1972 to discuss the theme “The Quest for World Community – Jewish and Christian Perspectives.” At the end of the meeting, the following Joint Proposals were formulated: The present world situation is characterized by increasing interdependence. Mass communication from continent to continent brings close to us the concerns of millions of people of whose existence we were hardly aware before. Modern travel helps us to become acquainted firsthand with ways of life and thinking which in the past were hardly known to us. Economic, technological, and political developments draw the people of this world more closely to one another. This development raises acutely the question whether mankind will be able to create a world community which allows for life in justice and peace.The realization of such a new order is not optional. It is decisive for the future of the human race., "One world ... or none" is more than a slogan. However, the concept of interdependence of mankind It may hold out the promise of new' commuKity but we also know from bitter experience that human institutions are not always unmixed blessings, no matter how noble the intentions of their founders, and may even lead to new conflicts of unprecedented dimensions. Groups can overreach themselves and destroy others. Nations can and do make war, and one world may be dictatorial or soulless.When speaking of world community we do not think of an imposed uniformity throughout the world - ideological, cultural, political and religious. Wo feci that world community needs to be under-stood as community of communities. The identity of each group must notbe extinguished, but each must find its place in the wider community 0T communities. Only such a concept provides the hope for the development of a human future in which individuals and groups will have their rights respected a…

Chief S. O. Adebo, Chairman, National Universities Commission, P. O. Box 139, Ibara, Abeokuta, Nigeria. Dr. Mohamed Al-Nowaihi, Chairman & Director, The Department and Center for Arabic Studies, The American University in Cairo, 113, Sharia Kasr El Aini, Cairo, Egypt. Cardinal Arns, Paulo Evaristo, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo, Residencia Arquiespiscopal Sao Paulo, Rua Mococa 71, 01255 Sao Paulo-Sp, Brazil.DR. HASAN ASKARIHeadDepartment of SociologyAligarh Muslim UniversityAligarh (UP) IndiaDR. W. ANANDA THERAHeadDepartment of Buddhist StudiesInternational Buddhist CentreColombo 6, Sri LankaPROFESSOR SHLOMO AVINERIDeanFaculty of Social SciencesThe Hebrew University of JerusalemJerusalem, IsraelRABBI IRWIN M. BLANKPresidentSynagogue Council of AmericaTemple Ohabei Shalom 1187 Beacon StreetBrookline, Moss. 02146DR. NORMAN BORLAUGDirectorWheat Headquarters StaffInternational Maize and Wheat Improve­ment CenterLondres 40Mexico 6, D. F. MexicoDR. HUSSEIN FAWZI(Former DeanFaculty of ScienceUniversity of Alexandria)38 Rue GuizaCairo, EgyptRT. REV. JOSEPH GREMILLIONCo-ChairmanSODEPAXFellow, University of Notre Dame 112 Memorial Library Notre Dame, IndianaDR. JOHN A. HANNAHExecutive DirectorWorld Food Council of the United NationsVia della Terme di Caracalla00100 Rome, ItalyREV. J. BRYAN HEHIRAssociate SecretaryUnited States Catholic Conference 1312 Massachusetts Ave., N. W. Washington, D. C. 20005REV. THEODORE M. HESBURGH, (C.S.C.) PresidentUniversity of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana 46556MOSES HORNSTEINVice PresidentSynagogue Council of America2841 Fairway DriveHollywood, Florida 33031DR. MARGE A. M. KLOMPEMinister of StateMember, Pontifical Commission Justice & Peace Smidswater 5The Hague, NetherlandsRABBI NORMAN LAMMProfessor of Jewish PhilosophyYeshiva University The Jewish Center 131 West 86 Street New York, New York 10024SOL M. LINOWITZ, ESQ.(Former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States) Senior PartnerCoudert Brothers I Farragu…

The Interreligious Peace Colloquium is the designation for a series of consultations that will bring together leading personalities from the major religious faiths in all parts of the world to consider the contribution that faith communities can make to a better understanding and resolution of the problems of human survival in the closing decades of the 20th century. The ancient dilemma of how to apply ethical and moral values to the lives of men-in-society confronts modern man with unprecedented urgency. The problem is not only the threat of a nuclear Holocaust; in a very literal sense, human survival depends on structures of international relationships that are moral and just. While there is no one segment of society that enjoys greater authority than others in dealing with these problems, religious institutions have a special responsibility to stimulate public awareness of the ethical and moral issues involved, and, by example, to encourage men's best efforts to deal with them.Modeled in some respects after the Pugwash consultations, the Colloquium proposes to bring together on a regular basis a small group of leading religious personalities with men in public life and experts in the areas under consideration. Unlike convocations of large numbers of religious leaders that have been held from time to time, it will be the purpose of the Colloquium not so much to dramatize the problem as to enable a small number of individuals in a position to influence the policies and programs of religious communities to think together about these critical issues.The Colloquium was first proposed by the Synagogue Council of America, the umbrella organization for national religious bodies of Conservative, Orthodox, and Reform Judaism in the United States. The Council main-tains close relations with peer Christian organizations in the United States - The National Council of Churches of Christ and the United States Catholic Conference. (The executive heads of these three bodies toge…

At the consultations in Lugano in the last days of October 1970, it was agreed that the World Council of Churches and the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations engage in a joint study on the implications of the theme that was the subject of the plenary meeting – i.e., “The Quest for World Community: Jewish and Christian Perspectives.” The understanding of both participating groups was that the next plenary meeting would be held in the autumn of 1972 with the same theme as its subject, and would work toward the preparation of a position paper that would attempt to articulate the views of Jews and Christians on their relationship with each other and with people of other faiths. A second document, once approved, would be forwarded by the consulting bodies to their respective constituencies. All of the conferees at Lugano were aware that the issues before them are fraught with great difficulty, because of the wide variation of opinion and belief within their various constituencies, and that it is therefore necessary for sufficient time and effort to be invested, so that all of these views could be fairly represented and, to the degree to which that is humanly possible, be allowed to interact.It was agreed that the kind of people to be appointed to engage in this study would, on both sides, represent, primarily, the academic and intellectual community, so that whatever document emerged would be solidly rooted in scholarship. It was envisaged that each of the groups would meet separately in the early fall of 1971, and that they would meet together for the first time before the end of the calendar year.Without limiting either the Christian or-the Jewish committee, or the two of them when they begin to act as the joint body, the following were the major questions which appeared at the discussion in Lugano as important for further study.(These issues are herebeing described * not as a report of the total discussion, but rather as they were presente…