Deborah Pardo-Kaplan's Christianity Today article here -
First International/Interconfessional Congress of the Jewish Disciples of Jesus
Dallas, Texas - August 27-30, 2018
Antoine Levy, OP, Dr. Mark Kinzer and Dr. David Rudolph
The first International and Interconfessional Congress of Jewish Disciples of Jesus met at the Kings University, Dallas for four days of discussions. More than forty congregational leaders and theologians from Messianic, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal traditions resolved to develop a new inter-confessional structure to encourage deeper association and unity between Jewish disciples of Jesus across the range and diversity of their respective confessions.
Attendees came from Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Poland, Russia, Scotland and the USA. They held plenary sessions and group discussions to explore the formation of a new entity that will encourage Jewish expression of faith in Jesus as a “corporate expression of Am Israel within the body of Christ, a prophetic voice within that body and within the Jewish people.”
Jewish disciples of Jesus in Anglican, Baptist, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Episcopal, Lutheran, Messianic Jewish, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox and Wesleyan traditions worshipped together using a variety of liturgies, including the Mass in Hebrew and Messianic Jewish services.
The Congress was convened by the Helsinki Consultation on Jewish Continuity in the Body of Christ (http://helsinkiconsultation.squarespace.com/), an interconfessional group of theologians who are Jewish disciples of Jesus, and whose previous statements were a basis for discussion and further action. The participants elected a steering committee to develop the new structure over the next two years.
The participants issued the following joint statement:
RESOLUTION BEGINS
The First International/Interconfessional Congress of Jewish Disciples of Jesus
The Dallas Resolution (August 30, 2018)
Practically, this organization may develop or share
- mutual support and fellowship
- paths towards repentance and mutual forgiveness among Jewish disciples
- resources for deepening the identity of Jewish disciples of Jesus
- joint prayer and the sharing of liturgical traditions
- theological research
- interconfessional dialogue and study programs of formation
- witness to Yeshua networks for building relationships among young people and singles
- support in combatting anti-Semitism
- representation of Jewish disciples of Jesus to the wider Church
The members of this transitional Steering Group will be Boris Balter, Mark Kinzer, Fr. Antoine Levy, Lisa Loden, Mark Neugebauer, Lee Spitzer, and Igor Swiderski.
Signatories to the 2018 Dallas Resolution:
Amanda Achtman (Catholic), Ottawa, Canada
Boris Balter (Orthodox), Moscow, Russia
Andrew Barron (Messianic), Toronto, Ontario
Monique Brumbach (Messianic), Los Angeles, USA
Michael Calise (Messianic/Pentecostal), New York, USA
Mikhail (Misha) Chernyak (Orthodox), Warsaw, Poland
Steve Cohen (Lutheran), Tennessee, USA
Lawrence Feingold (Catholic), St. Louis, USA
Matthew Friedman (Messianic/Wesleyan), New Brunswick, Canada
Boris Goldin (Messianic), Florida, USA
Matheus Guimarães (Messianic), Brazil
Richard Harvey (Messianic), England
Debra Herbeck (Catholic), Michigan, USA
Mark Kinzer (Messianic), Michigan, USA
Elliot Klayman (Messianic), San Diego, USA
David Klein (Presbyterian), Washington State, USA
Sr. Eliana Kurylo (Catholic), Toulouse, France
Ryan Lambert (Messianic), Georgia, USA
Rev. Warren Leibovitch (Episcopal), Ontario, Canada
Fr. Francois Lestang (Catholic), Lyon, France
Fr. Antoine Levy (Catholic), Helsinki, Finland
Lisa Loden (Messianic), Netanya, Israel
Yuriy Mark (Baptist), Germany
Leonid Mazin (Messianic), Israel
Fr. Michael Meerson (Orthodox), New York, USA
David Moss (Catholic), St. Louis, USA
Mark Neugebauer (Catholic), Toronto, Canada
Sue Neugebauer (Catholic), Toronto, Canada
Fr. David Neuhaus (Catholic), Israel
Rich Nichol (Messianic), Boston, USA
Svetlana Panich (Orthodox), Moscow, Russia
Juliet Pressel (Catholic), Michigan, USA
Ephraim Radner (Episcopal), Toronto, Canada
Jennifer Rosner (Messianic), California, USA
David Rudolph (Messianic), Dallas, USA
Rev. Lee Spitzer (Baptist), New Jersey, USA
Greg Stone (Pentecostal), Dallas, USA
Igor Swiderski (Messianic), Germany
Ari Waldman (Messianic), Dallas, USA
Marty Waldman (Messianic), Dallas, USA
Ken Wilsker (Catholic), St. Louis, USA
Judith Wolfe (Catholic), Scotland
RESOLUTION ENDS
The Consultation founders, Dr. Mark Kinzer, President Emeritus of Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (USA), and Fr. Antoine Levy, OP, Professor at the School of Theology, University of Eastern Finland, expressed thanks to The King’s University, Dallas, for hosting the conference.
Rabbi Dr. Mark Kinzer (Messianic Jewish) said “we came together from many different backgrounds but displayed a remarkable unity of purpose considering our differing theological and cultural backgrounds. I am delighted that the future of our working together will now be developed further, and look forward with eager anticipation to our next meeting. It is important for the Body of Messiah and for the Jewish people that such a process continues.”
Father Antoine Levy, O.P., said “We have been meeting together for a number of years as a small group, but now we have a growing number of Jewish disciples of Jesus from across the confessions who wish to see more visible, corporate and communal expression of our unity and fellowship, and I am most encouraged at the opportunity we have to work on this together.”
For more information contact:
http://helsinkiconsultation.squarespace.com/
http://www.facebook.com/HelsinkiConsultation
Dr. Mark Kinzer:
Congregation Zera Avraham
P.O. Box 2025
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106
USA
Antoine Lévy O.P.: +358 (0)50 304 2778
antoine.levy@studium.fi
Studium Catholicum
Ritarikatu 3 B A 4
00170 Helsinki
Finland
Group discussion at Dallas Congress
Dallas Congress participants
Dallas Congress participants
Press Release, Statement and Papers now available!
POLISH TRANSLATION HERE
HEBREW TRANSLATION OF STATEMENT HERE
PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 3 JULY 2017
HELSINKI CONSULTATION ON
JEWISH CONTINUITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
CONFERENCE IN KRAKÓW
The seventh “Helsinki Consultation on Jewish Continuity in the Body of Christ” met June 23th-28th, 2017, hosted by the Dominican Priory, Kraków, Poland. Jewish disciples of Jesus from Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, belonging to Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Messianic Jewish traditions, met to deepen their fellowship in faith, present papers and discuss the topic “Jewish Disciples of Jesus & the Wounds of Memory: Source of Healing or Continued Trauma?”
The consultation recognized and responded to the unique historical, cultural and theological circumstances of the Poland context. The open sessions were well attended, and members of the consultation led worship services using Catholic, Orthodox and Messianic Jewish liturgies.
Local contributors to the consultation included social anthropologist Dr. Annamaria Orla-Bukowska, Jagiellonian University (Krakow); Prof. Dr. Hab. Stanislaw Krajewski (Warsaw), leader of the Jewish community in Poland and co-chairman of the Polish Council of Christians and Jews; Marek Nowak, OP; and Sister of Zion leader Sr. Anna Bodzinska.
Consultation members met with Bishop Grzegorz Ryś, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Kraków, and Rabbi Avi Baumol of the Krakow Jewish Community Centre. They visited Auschwitz and attended the funeral of Father Peter Hocken, a leading ecumenist and supporter of the Consultation. Facilitation and translation were provided by Fr. Eric Ross, OP, and Sr. Eliana Kurylo, CB.
The Consultation founders, Rabbi Dr. Mark Kinzer, President Emeritus of Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (USA), and Fr. Antoine Levy, OP, Professor at the School of Theology, University of Eastern Finland, expressed thanks to the Dominican Priory for hosting the conference.
Fr. Antoine Levy OP, co-founder, observed:
"Being in Krakow, a short distance from Auschwitz, provided a unique opportunity to bring together Polish discussions on the devastating consequences of Christian anti-Judaism and the Consultation's work towards a distinctive Jewish presence in the Church. We came out of this meeting with a renewed awareness of the healing power that stems from our common faith in Yeshua, Israel´s Messiah".
Messianic Rabbi Mark Kinzer, PhD, the second co-founder, said: “Surrounded by testimony to the greatest horrors of the twentieth century, this conference offered hope for a better future. We all drew courage from our faith in the Messiah and his irrevocable commitment to his people.”
Participants gave papers (available at the Helsinki Consultation website http://helsinkiconsultation.squarespace.com/ and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HelsinkiConsultation/) and issued the Conference Statement below [FRENCH, GERMAN, HEBREW, ITALIAN, RUSSIAN TRANSLATIONS TO FOLLOW]:
STATEMENT BEGINS
Jewish followers of Jesus and the wounds of memory: source of healing or further trauma?
We have gathered in Krakow, Poland surrounded by witnesses to both a beautiful and tragic past. So too we have been reminded of King Casimir’s welcome of the Jews, the rich achievements of Jewish culture, and its engagement with Polish society over many centuries, including the presence of Jews within the Church.
It is precisely in this ambivalent context of blessing and woundedness that we have sought to pursue our reflections on our place as Jewish believers in Yeshua in the living body of the Messiah. As Jews, we remember with our people the deep wounds received from the hands of Christians, sometimes with the assent of church authorities. We also remember that many Christians have been prey to persecutions across the ages, most acutely in the last century. We remember too that we Jews can be agents of violence and cause of suffering. Finally, we remember that we are part of the body of the Christ, who is the source and agent of all reconciliation. It is the paradox and mystery of our faith that healing and forgiveness come forth from the wounds of the Messiah on the cross.
Remembering has led us back to the wound that is the separation between the Church and the major part of the Jewish people. This has hindered the full realization of the body of Christ. As Jewish disciples of Jesus, we are profoundly affected by this separation. We are aware that our dual identity has sometimes proven a stumbling block on the path to reconciliation and unity. The misguided zeal of some Jewish followers of Jesus has historically even furthered mutual rejection between members of the Church and the Jewish people. But we have also witnessed great figures among the Jewish followers of Jesus who have fought antijudaism, antisemitism, and their legacy, and who have worked tirelessly for reconciliation. They understood how healing the wounds of memory demands that the Church affirm the ongoing election of the Jewish people and the richness of its tradition. They believed also that the Church should welcome the expression of Jewish identity within her life.
Inspired by these great witnesses, we are convinced that a corporate Jewish expression is essential to the integrity of the entire body of the Messiah. The acceptance of this Jewish presence in its midst is itself an aspect of needed repentance from antijudaism and antisemitism, and a decision to break with its destructive legacy. This acceptance will also contribute to disclosing the authentic nature of the body of Christ, which is rooted in Israel’s election and the Jewishness of its Messiah. We Jewish followers of Yeshua seek to be instruments of Christ’s power for this healing of the wounds of memory and for reconciliation within his divided body.
Signed: Antoine Levy, Boris Balter, David Neuhaus, Ephraim Radner, Etienne Veto, Lisa Loden, Mark Kinzer, Richard Harvey, Svetlana Panich, Vladimir Pikman
28 June 2017, Kraków, Poland
STATEMENT ENDS
Next year’s meeting will be held in the USA
For more information contact:
http://helsinkiconsultation.squarespace.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HelsinkiConsultation/
Rabbi Dr. Mark Kinzer:
Congregation Zera Avraham
P.O. Box 2025
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106
USA
Antoine Lévy O.P.: +358 (0)50 304 2778
antoine.levy@studium.fi
Studium Catholicum
Ritarikatu 3 B A 4
00170 Helsinki
Finland
CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS
Boris Balter, Orthodox (Moscow), Researcher, Russian Academy of Sciences.
Richard Harvey, PhD (University of Wale), Messianic (London), Associate Lecturer, All Nations Christian College
Mark Kinzer, PhD (University of Michigan), Messianic Rabbi, Senior Scholar and President Emeritus of Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (Ann Arbor, USA),
Fr. Antoine Levy, OP, Catholic (Helsinki), Professor at the School of Theology, University of Eastern Finland
Lisa Loden, Messianic (Israel), Head of Leadership Development at the Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Fr. David Neuhaus, SJ, Catholic (Jerusalem), Patriarchal Vicar General for Hebrew speaking Catholics in Israel.
Svetlana Panich, Orthodox (Moscow), Literary critic and translator.
Rabbi Vladimir Pikman, Messianic (Berlin), Vice-President of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance, Executive Director of “Beit Sar Shalom” ministry.
Rev. Ephraim Radner, Anglican (Toronto), Professor of Historical Theology, Wycliffe College, PhD (Yale University) |
Fr. Etienne Veto, (CCN), PhD (Centre Sèvres, Facultés Jésuites de Paris), Director, Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.
ENDS – ENDS –ENDS
PHOTOS
Conference presentations
Catholic Mass in Hebrew
Conference Statement Planning –Ephraim Radner
Conference presentations –
Conference participants – Dr. Richard Harvey, Fr. Etienne Veto, Fr. David Neuhaus
Preparation for worship – Catholic Mass in Hebrew
More photos available here – PERMISSIONS GIVEN
http://www.adamwalanus.pl/2017/dominikanie/index.html
HELSINKI CONSULTATION 2017
June 23-25 - Krakow
Jewish followers of Jesus and the wounds of memory: source of healing or further trauma?
Żydowscy uczniowie Jezusa i rany pamięci: czas uzdrowienia czy dalsza trauma?
(Polski tekst poniżej)
A high-level international meeting of scholars from eight countries and three continents is happening in our cloister in Krakow this June. But this not a purely academic meeting. It’s an international gathering of theologians who were born Jewish but who have found Jesus. Some, like the Dominican Fr. Antoine Levy, are Catholic priests. Some are Orthodox, others Protestant. Still others belong to movements within Messianic Judaism. All believe in Jesus.
This group of thinkers from Europe, Russia, Israel and the United States have organized regular meetings every few years since 2010. Beginning in Helsinki, they chose to call themselves “the Helsinki Consultation.” Their aim is to ensure that a distinctly Jewish voice is heard in the context of the Christian community: a task that presents many challenges. They have gathered to debate and draft theological statements in major cities like Berlin, Paris and Moscow. Now it’s time for Krakow.
Poland is not just any place. This country has a special role in Jewish history, with more than 800 years of Jewish life and scholarship developing in the Polish lands. The members of the Helsinki Consultation are keenly aware of this. In Krakow, less than 70 kilometers from Auschwitz, the scholars have organized a meeting under the title “Jewish followers of Jesus and the wounds of memory: time for healing or further trauma?” They will pray, give short presentations on the main theme in a public forum, and work to draft a declaration on how the Jewish experience and the personal histories of Jews who have embraced Jesus can enrich the Church.
The scholars see themselves as “the blank page between the Old Testament and the New,” to use a phrase of Disraeli’s, and as living links between the People of Israel and the Church.
The work of the Helsinki Consultation is primarily theological. They are Jews belonging to different, traditionally conflicting, Christian denominations. Yet they are trying to articulate what the Jewish component of the People redeemed by Christ is, what it means, and what it should be in the context of the whole, yet not-yet-visibly-united, Body of Christ.
The conference will be open to the public free of charge for three days, from Friday June 23 through Sunday June 25. All are welcome. There will be prayer and liturgies in three traditions: a Messianic Jewish “Kabbalat Shabbat” service on Friday night, prayer in the Russian Orthodox tradition on Saturday afternoon, and a Catholic Mass in the Hebrew language on Sunday morning. All of this will take place in different rooms in the Krakow priory.
In the Aula of Saint Thomas Aquinas of the Priory on Saturday and Sunday, Jewish-Christian members of the Helsinki Consultation will make short interventions around this year’s theme in a panel format.
Noted Polish scholars will join the panels with the speakers: Prof. Dr. hab. Stanisław Krajewski (U. of Warsaw), Fr. Dr. hab. Marek Nowak, O.P. (U. of Warsaw), Sister Dr. hab. Teresa Obolevitch (Pontifical University of John Paul II of Krakow), Dr. Annamaria Orla-Bukowska (Jagiellonian University of Krakow) and Sister Anna Bodzińska (of the congregation of Our Lady of Sion). There will be time for questions from the audience.
The entire meeting will be translated simultaneously into Polish and English by use of electronic headsets.
Members of the Helsinki Commission who will come to Krakow include some of the world’s best-known Jewish Christian theologians. Rabbi Dr. Mark Kinzer of the USA will attend. He is President-Emeritus of the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute. Fr. Antoine Levy, a Dominican priest and university lecturer based in Finland, Messianic Rabbi Vladimir Pikman of Berlin, and Richard Harvey, a long-time professor and dean at All Nations Christian College in Great Britian, will all be present. Boris Balter of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Fr. David Neuhaus, a Jesuit from Jerusalem who is the Patriarchal Vicar General for Hebrew speaking Catholics in Israel, and Svetlana Panich (Moscow), who is an Orthodox Russian literary critic and translator, will all be in Krakow. Also in attendance will be Lisa Loden, Head of Leadership Development at the Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary, and Fr. Etienne Vetö of France, who is professor at the Gregorian University in Rome. This year, for the first time, Efraim Radner, an Anglican theologian, will join the conference as guest speaker.
Why are these distinguished people meeting in a Dominican priory? For several good reasons: the Dominicans have a long history with the Jewish people – sometimes edifying, sometimes troubling. In the official canonization proceedings for Saint Dominic, our founder is described as “loving to all, the rich, the poor, the Jews, the gentiles.” It has been shown that early Dominicans learned Hebrew from medieval rabbis. Saint Thomas Aquinas, the great Dominican theologian, cites the great Jewish philosopher Maimonides nearly 100 times in his works, and many believe that his proofs of God in the Summa were borrowed in large part from the famous Rabbi. On the downside, Dominicans played a role, for instance, in the Disputation of Tortosa in 15th-century Spain. All of this shows that dialog between Christians and Jews has long been part of the Dominican tradition. What better place for this meeting than a Dominican priory?
Never has a meeting on this challenging subject been organized in Poland on such a high level, with the participation of serious theological authorities from many countries. For Poles, this is an unprecedented opportunity to listen and participate in a global discussion.
Of course, the issues discussed at this conference are of universal importance. As recent declarations attest, the question of a distinctive voice for the Jewish people within the Church is a high priority for Pope Francis. As Jewish Christians come into their own, now is the time for Christians to deal with the wounds of memory and come to terms with the Jews in their midst.
POLISH
W dominikańskim klasztorze w Krakowie w dniach 23–25 czerwca odbędzie się spotkanie wyjątkowych intelektualistów, przedstawicieli ośmiu państw z trzech kontynentów. Nie będzie to jednak wyłącznie konferencja akademicka. Nasi goście to międzynarodowa grupa teologów, którzy urodzili się jako Żydzi i wychowali w tradycji żydowskiej, a w swoim życiu odnaleźli Jezusa. Niektórzy, tak jak współorganizator spotkania dominikanin o. Antoine Levy, są księżmi katolickimi. Ale są wśród nich także prawosławni, protestanci oraz przedstawiciele nowych ruchów, takich jak judaizm mesjanistyczny. Wszyscy wierzą w Jezusa.
Grono intelektualistów z Europy, Rosji, Izraela i Stanów Zjednoczonych organizuje regularne konferencje co kilka lat, począwszy od 2010 roku. Pierwsza odbyła się w Helsinkach, stąd nazwa „Helsinki Consultation”. Ich celem jest wyraźne zaznaczenie żydowskiej obecności wewnątrz wspólnoty chrześcijańskiej: zadanie, które stawia wiele wyzwań. Debaty owocują zwykle opracowaniem deklaracji teologicznej. Tak było w Berlinie, Paryżu i Moskwie. Teraz przyszedł czas na Kraków.
Polska to dla Żydów miejsce niezwykłe, kraj, który odegrał wyjątkową rolę w ich historii. Okres ponad 800-letniego współistnienia Żydów i Polaków zaowocował licznymi przykładami żydowskiej twórczości teologicznej i intelektualnej. Członkowie Helsinki Consultation są tego w pełni świadomi. W Krakowie, położonym zaledwie 70 km od Auschwitz, zaplanowali spotkanie zatytułowane Żydowscy uczniowie Jezusa i rany pamięci: czas uzdrowienia czy dalsza trauma? W dominikańskim klasztorze będą się modlić, głosić krótkie referaty i pracować nad tekstem najnowszej deklaracji.
Cel jest głównie teologiczny – poszukiwanie odpowiedzi na pytanie, w jaki sposób doświadczenia narodu żydowskiego i osobiste historie Żydów, którzy przyjęli Jezusa, mogą wzbogacić Kościół. Uczeni postrzegają siebie, zgodnie z myślą zaczerpniętą od premiera Benjamina Disraeliego, jako „brakującą stronę między Starym a Nowym Testamentem” – żywą więź między Izraelem a Kościołem.
Nie bez znaczenia jest fakt, że członkowie Helsinki Consultation to Żydzi należący do różnych wyznań chrześcijańskich. Ich projekt jest więc nie tylko międzyreligijny, lecz także ekumeniczny. Starają się wyrazić to, kim są Żydzi odkupieni przez Chrystusa, co oznacza ich nawrócenie i kim powinni być w kontekście całego Kościoła, który stanowi jedną owczarnię, choć dziś jeszcze nie jest zjednoczony.
Wstęp na krakowską konferencję jest wolny. Będzie to dla wszystkich niesamowita okazja uczestniczenia w modlitwach i liturgii trzech różnych tradycji: mesjanistycznej modlitwie „Kabalat Szabat” w piątek wieczorem, modlitwie w tradycji rosyjsko-prawosławnej w sobotę po południu oraz katolickiej mszy świętej w języku hebrajskim w niedzielny poranek.
W sobotę i niedzielę w Aula Magna klasztoru żydowscy członkowie Helsinki Consultation zaprezentują swoje referaty i wezmą udział w dyskusji panelowej z naukowcami z Polski oraz publicznością. Spotkanie będzie tłumaczone na język polski i angielski i przesyłane bezprzewodowo do odbiorców za pomocą słuchawek. Swój udział zapowiedzieli: prof. UW dr hab. Stanisław Krajewski, o. dr hab. Marek Nowak OP (UW), s. dr hab. Teresa Obolevitch (UPJPII), dr Annamaria Orla-Bukowska (UJ) oraz s. Anna Bodzińska (Zgromadzenie Sióstr Matki Bożej z Syjonu).
Trzeba zaznaczyć, że do tej pory nie mieliśmy w Polsce okazji uczestniczyć w międzynarodowej konferencji, która w tak poważny sposób podejmowałaby problem ran pamięci. To dla nas bezprecedensowa możliwość uczestniczenia w globalnej dyskusji. Temat jest bardzo aktualny: kwestia charakterystycznego głosu narodu żydowskiego w łonie Kościoła jest dla papieża Franciszka szczególnie ważna, o czym świadczą najnowsze deklaracje Stolicy Apostolskiej. Wydaje się, że nadszedł właściwy czas, aby chrześcijanie poradzili sobie z ranami przeszłości, zrozumieli i zaakceptowali Żydów, którzy przynależą do kościołów chrześcijańskich.
Członkowie Helsinki Consultation, których będziemy gościć w Krakowie, należą do najbardziej znanych żydowsko-chrześcijańskich teologów na świecie: dr Mark Kinzler z USA – emerytowany prezydent Mesjańsko-Żydowskiego Instytutu Teologicznego, O. Antoine Levy OP (Paryż, Helsinki), rabin Władimir Pikman (Berlin) i Richard Harvey – profesor i dziekan chrześcijańskiego uniwersytetu All Nations w Wielkiej Brytanii. Przybędą również: Boris Balter, kosmolog z Rosyjskiej Akademii Nauk, ks. David Neuhaus, jezuita z Jerozolimy, który jest wikariuszem generalnym dla katolików hebrajskojęzycznych w Izraelu, Svetlana Panich (Moskwa), prawosławna krytyk literacki i tłumaczka, Lisa Loden, kierownik duchowy i wykładowczyni w Nazaretańskim Ewangelikalnym Seminarium Teologicznym oraz ks. Etienne Vetö z Francji, profesor Uniwersytetu Gregoriańskiego w Rzymie. W tym roku po raz pierwszy jako „guest speaker” na konferencji pojawi się Efraim Radner, teolog anglikański.
Dlaczego to zacne grono spotyka się w dominikańskim klasztorze? Co mają wspólnego dominikanie z Żydami? Otóż, w dokumentach sporządzonych podczas procesu kanonizacyjnego, św. Dominik scharakteryzowany został jako „kochający wszystkich, bogatych, biednych, Żydów, nie-Żydów". Istnieją przekazy mówiące, że pierwsi dominikanie uczyli się języka hebrajskiego od rabinów. Święty Tomasz z Akwinu w swoich dziełach prawie sto razy cytuje wielkiego żydowskiego filozofa Majmonidesa, a wielu wręcz uważa, że dowody Akwinaty na istnienie Boga w Summie teologicznej były inspirowane jego nauczaniem.
Nie zawsze rola dominikanów była pozytywna, dość przypomnieć Dysputa w Tortosie w XV wieku w Hiszpanii.
Wszystko to pokazuje, że dialog między chrześcijanami i Żydami był zawsze głęboko zakorzeniony w dominikańskiej tradycji. Czyż więc może być lepsze miejsce na zorganizowanie takiego spotkania niż nasz dominikański klasztor?
<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS Mincho"; panose-1:2 2 6 9 4 2 5 8 3 4; mso-font-alt:"MS 明朝"; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:modern; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 134217746 0 131231 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"\@MS Mincho"; panose-1:2 2 6 9 4 2 5 8 3 4; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:modern; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 134217746 0 131231 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:"Cambria",serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;} @page WordSection1 {size:595.0pt 842.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} -->