Three JPII Leaders attended on June 23-26 the annual conference of the International Council of Christians and Jews that took place in Salzburg (Austria) on the theme of Holiness.
Senior Program Manager Elena Dini offered a workshop with fellow Jew and Muslim presenters on “Paths to Holiness: Exploring Interreligious Perspectives” while JPII Leader Rebecca Cohen (Cohort VI, USA) was presenting a workshop on “Catholic-Jewish Collaboration in Combatting Antisemitism Through Education, Clergy Formation Opportunities, and Young Leadership Development” in her capacity at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and in collaboration with Noam Marans of the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
In fact, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs are collaborating to combat resurgent antisemitism with three major initiatives, among others:
1) an interactive online and published educational tool which enlightens Christians on the tropes of antisemitism and the relevant Church teachings that have been brought forth in opposition;
2) introducing Catholic clergy to Jewish practices, beginning with participation in home Passover seders;
3) developing Catholic-Jewish young leadership cohorts who dialogue, study and strategize together to combat antisemitism, persecution of Christians, and all forms of hate. During the workshop, these initiatives were presented and discussed.
Among the participants at the conference Samantha Lin (Cohort IX, USA) who attended the conference after having been selected for a scholarship for young people by the Friends and Sponsors of the Martin Buber House. “At the ICCJ I was able to experience a different dialogue environment with a broad range of ages who participated; while I have normally been in dialogue with other young people, at the ICCJ I had conversations with people who have been involved in dialogue for 30+ years; their perspective and their old friendships were inspiring to me!”, Samantha said.
The conference gave also the chance to reconnect with some of the Jewish and Catholic participants of the Emerging Leadership Conference that took place last year in Oxford, UK, and that the John Paul II Center partially sponsored.
