During a rare panel discussion in Israel, a Christian bishop and a Jewish rabbi talked about how Jews and Christians get along with each other.
At the opening gala of the sixth Christian Media Summit, held by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) in Jerusalem on December 11, 2022, there was an unusual panel discussion called "Revealing the Interfaith Relationship Between Jews and Christians."
Rabbi David Rosen, the American Jewish Committee's International Director of Interreligious Affairs and former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, said honestly that most Christians and most Jews don’t think about their relationships. When asked how Jews and Christians deal with their past disagreements, relationships, and tensions, he brought up the story of Isaac's son Jacob making peace with his brother Esau. The rabbi claimed that reconciliation will come when Christians recognize the true nature of the Jewish people and their covenantal relationship with God, and the Jewish people will also recognize their special qualities. “The more Jews discover Christians as sisters and brothers, the more Jews can overcome the wounds of the past and be able to see the special relationship in a family of Abraham.”
Bishop Robert Stearns, who started and runs Eagles Wings Ministry, said that education was important in both communities. He said that there have been changes in the relationships for the past forty years, especially under the influence of global Christian Zionism.
Rabbi David Rosen went on to say, when talking about education myths, that the relationship between Judaism and Christianity is unique because they have the same spiritual roots. Because of the historical tragedy, Jews, especially Christians have been unable to see that special relationship.
“We have to also understand that what connects us is also what divides us."
"If you don't understand and respect that, our relationship is fraught with misunderstanding and possibly resentment." He added, "As a result, what binds us uniquely together is the text—the Hebrew Bible, but we understand terms within the Hebrew Bible very differently because passages of the Hebrew Bible are understood by Christianity in the context of the central experience for the Christian faithful.”
He cited a classical example of interpreting the Hebrew word "mashiyach." It means “somebody anointed with oil," but it only refers to a human being who was anointed for a task, such as a king or a high priest. The Jews who were being mistreated looked forward to a wise leader who would be chosen as the mashiyach at the time when God would save the world.
“It’s got nothing to do with the state of my soul or my personal faith, but for a Christian, it has everything to do with my faith and with the state of my soul, because it’s understood through a very different prism and experience,” the rabbi stressed.
“We must celebrate the bond, but we also respect the difference because we are not the same religion,” he added.
According to Bishop Robert Stearns, a common misconception is that "you have to compromise your faith in some way to be a part of that dialogue; you have to be heretical to your faith tradition."
He was once asked to give the closing benediction at a meeting mostly attended by Christians and some non-Christians. Traditionally speaking, he prayed in the name of Jesus, but he prayed, “As a Christian, I pray in the name of Jesus.” It was a struggle for him because he wanted to honor a rabbi present there. The rabbi replied, “Now I can trust you because you are being true to who you are.”
Bishop Stearns told the two religious groups that they should work together for the coming of the Messianic Age, even though their theologies and interpretations were very different.
Then Rabbi David Rosen highlighted a quote from Martin Buber, a pioneer of the Jewish-Christian dialogue: “We have a common book and a hope, and that is no small thing.”
When asked about the problems and chances that interfaith dialogue and collaboration don't give Jews and Christians, the rabbi said that Christians must accept how badly they have treated Jews in the past. Anti-semitism and the Holocaust give most young Jews a negative experience in general, and they know nothing about the care and love for Israel from Christians.
Bishop Roberts said that there is a chance for us to work together to keep the sacred in a world that is becoming more materialistic and secular. “We have shared values and, above all, our affirmation of the design of the world. And without that, our world is lost. And, as another great Christian put it, "as Abraham's children, we must be a blessing to the world, but first, we must be a blessing to one another."
In interfaith dialogue, when Jews and Christians have different ideas about how to interpret sacred texts, Rabbi Rosen suggested that they use what they have in common to send a message about the changes in our world today. When Christians say, "Let us pray together," Jews are not always at ease because Jewish prayer is more structured, if not rigid than evangelical prayer. “Judaism understands this is part of our uniting with the divine, with God, three times a day when we pray. But for us, it's as important to discover the divine words as revealed in the text.”
Bishop Stearns said that he hoped more Christian leaders would learn how to wrestle with God. “Evangelicalism is very focused on answers. Judaism likes to ask good questions. But my prayer is that there will be, within the Christian tradition, a far deeper wrestling with text.”
"I tell the Christians in this room and the rest of the world to start meeting and teaching the real Jesus. We are in a period of social justice in my country, Jesus. Trump Jesus is here. We’ve got Jesus and all of our own images, and we’re opting for him to fit our particular religious or social goals. I think the Christian world needs to meet the Jewish Jesus in this context.”
自2019年新冠疫情开始以来，以色列基督教媒体峰会首次在耶路撒冷举行。
12月11日至14日，这个由以色列政府新闻办公室于2017年首次举办的年度会议吸引了来自28个国家的120名媒体专业人士，就与以色列和基督教世界有关的关键问题进行对话。
这次为期四天的峰会旨在促进与基督教社区的更多合作，并加强其与以色列的联盟。
政府新闻办公室负责人利赞·成（Nitzan Chen）在晚会上致开幕词，承认基督教媒体在公共舆论、打击假新闻和反对反犹主义方面的重要性。“你们是公众态度的代表和守护者，作为舆论调解人具有独特而关键的地位，提供着有利于人民的可靠信息，并了解实地的真实事实。”
耶路撒冷市长摩西·利昂（Moshe Lion）向与会者致意：“耶路撒冷是以色列的首都，是一个共存的地方。这是一座和平之城。朋友们，自从我成为市长以来，我就致力于在耶路撒冷不同社区之间搭建桥梁。我知道你们支持耶路撒冷，我很高兴欢迎你们来到耶路撒冷。”
耶路撒冷国际基督教大使馆主席于尔根·比勒（Juergen Buehler）博士向与会者表示，今年是以色列独立75周年。“我相信这是一个重要的年份，因为亚伯拉罕第一次进入以色列的应许之地时也是75岁。自那75年甚至更早以来，世界各地的基督徒将以极大的忠诚和支持，与犹太人民一起建立这个伟大的国家。”
会议以以色列的政治、公民、文化和宗教领袖为特色，进行了专题讨论、演讲、参观加沙边境和以色列军事基地、前往大卫城朝圣，并参观了以色列议会。
第二天，热门犹太电视剧《谢蒂瑟之家》（Shtisel）被介绍给了与会者，让他们一窥极端正统派犹太哈雷迪（Haredi）家庭的神秘日常生活。会议涵盖了伊朗核协议、以色列的创新前景以及该国犹太人对乌克兰的援助。此外，一名基督教主教和一名犹太拉比还进行了特别对话，探讨两种宗教的不同信仰之间的关系。四位基督教领袖分别从人道主义、基督教女性、媒体和全球视角讨论了以色列。
第三天，参会者南下去到了尼林（Nirim），那里居住着一个特殊群体“基布兹”（kibbutz，以色列的一个有意社区，最初是一个乌托邦社区，传统上以农业为基础）。这里距离加沙外围只有几十米，过去几年遭受火箭弹袭击的幸存者们分享了他们是如何在收到炸弹警报后十秒钟内逃到安全室的，并表达了他们对和平的憧憬。
第四天，与会者参观了大卫城，在那里发现了可能是大卫王宫殿的大型石头结构，证明了圣经历史的真实性。他们走过了朝圣者的路线，这些朝圣者每年三次从西罗亚池向上攀登到圣殿山庆祝节期。记者们还听取了以色列议会议员的演讲，以便更深入地了解以色列。
以色列第六届基督教媒体峰会在耶路撒冷举行
During a rare panel discussion in Israel, a Christian bishop and a Jewish rabbi talked about how Jews and Christians get along with each other.
At the opening gala of the sixth Christian Media Summit, held by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) in Jerusalem on December 11, 2022, there was an unusual panel discussion called "Revealing the Interfaith Relationship Between Jews and Christians."
Rabbi David Rosen, the American Jewish Committee's International Director of Interreligious Affairs and former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, said honestly that most Christians and most Jews don’t think about their relationships. When asked how Jews and Christians deal with their past disagreements, relationships, and tensions, he brought up the story of Isaac's son Jacob making peace with his brother Esau. The rabbi claimed that reconciliation will come when Christians recognize the true nature of the Jewish people and their covenantal relationship with God, and the Jewish people will also recognize their special qualities. “The more Jews discover Christians as sisters and brothers, the more Jews can overcome the wounds of the past and be able to see the special relationship in a family of Abraham.”
Bishop Robert Stearns, who started and runs Eagles Wings Ministry, said that education was important in both communities. He said that there have been changes in the relationships for the past forty years, especially under the influence of global Christian Zionism.
Rabbi David Rosen went on to say, when talking about education myths, that the relationship between Judaism and Christianity is unique because they have the same spiritual roots. Because of the historical tragedy, Jews, especially Christians have been unable to see that special relationship.
“We have to also understand that what connects us is also what divides us."
"If you don't understand and respect that, our relationship is fraught with misunderstanding and possibly resentment." He added, "As a result, what binds us uniquely together is the text—the Hebrew Bible, but we understand terms within the Hebrew Bible very differently because passages of the Hebrew Bible are understood by Christianity in the context of the central experience for the Christian faithful.”
He cited a classical example of interpreting the Hebrew word "mashiyach." It means “somebody anointed with oil," but it only refers to a human being who was anointed for a task, such as a king or a high priest. The Jews who were being mistreated looked forward to a wise leader who would be chosen as the mashiyach at the time when God would save the world.
“It’s got nothing to do with the state of my soul or my personal faith, but for a Christian, it has everything to do with my faith and with the state of my soul, because it’s understood through a very different prism and experience,” the rabbi stressed.
“We must celebrate the bond, but we also respect the difference because we are not the same religion,” he added.
According to Bishop Robert Stearns, a common misconception is that "you have to compromise your faith in some way to be a part of that dialogue; you have to be heretical to your faith tradition."
He was once asked to give the closing benediction at a meeting mostly attended by Christians and some non-Christians. Traditionally speaking, he prayed in the name of Jesus, but he prayed, “As a Christian, I pray in the name of Jesus.” It was a struggle for him because he wanted to honor a rabbi present there. The rabbi replied, “Now I can trust you because you are being true to who you are.”
Bishop Stearns told the two religious groups that they should work together for the coming of the Messianic Age, even though their theologies and interpretations were very different.
Then Rabbi David Rosen highlighted a quote from Martin Buber, a pioneer of the Jewish-Christian dialogue: “We have a common book and a hope, and that is no small thing.”
When asked about the problems and chances that interfaith dialogue and collaboration don't give Jews and Christians, the rabbi said that Christians must accept how badly they have treated Jews in the past. Anti-semitism and the Holocaust give most young Jews a negative experience in general, and they know nothing about the care and love for Israel from Christians.
Bishop Roberts said that there is a chance for us to work together to keep the sacred in a world that is becoming more materialistic and secular. “We have shared values and, above all, our affirmation of the design of the world. And without that, our world is lost. And, as another great Christian put it, "as Abraham's children, we must be a blessing to the world, but first, we must be a blessing to one another."
In interfaith dialogue, when Jews and Christians have different ideas about how to interpret sacred texts, Rabbi Rosen suggested that they use what they have in common to send a message about the changes in our world today. When Christians say, "Let us pray together," Jews are not always at ease because Jewish prayer is more structured, if not rigid than evangelical prayer. “Judaism understands this is part of our uniting with the divine, with God, three times a day when we pray. But for us, it's as important to discover the divine words as revealed in the text.”
Bishop Stearns said that he hoped more Christian leaders would learn how to wrestle with God. “Evangelicalism is very focused on answers. Judaism likes to ask good questions. But my prayer is that there will be, within the Christian tradition, a far deeper wrestling with text.”
"I tell the Christians in this room and the rest of the world to start meeting and teaching the real Jesus. We are in a period of social justice in my country, Jesus. Trump Jesus is here. We’ve got Jesus and all of our own images, and we’re opting for him to fit our particular religious or social goals. I think the Christian world needs to meet the Jewish Jesus in this context.”
Panel: The Interfaith Relationship Between Jews and Christians Has Seen Changes in Past Decades
