A group of Orthodox rabbis in Israel, the US and Europe have published a ground-breaking statement in which they have acknowleged Christianity is “neither an accident nor an error, but the willed divine outcome and gift to the nations”.
The rabbis said that in separating Judaism and Christianity, God willed “a separation between partners with significant theological differences, not a separation between enemies”. They wrote that given the Catholic Church has acknowleged the eternal covenant between God and Israel, “we Jews can acknowledge the ongoing constructive validity of Christianity as our partner in world redemption, without any fear that this will be exploited for missionary purposes”.
The rabbis said that while they understand the hesitation of both side to affirm the “truth” that “Jews and Christians have a common covenantal mission”, “we call on our communities to overcome these fears in order to establish a relationship of trust and respect”.
“In imitating G-d, Jews and Christians must offer models of service, unconditional love and holiness. We are all created in G-d’s Holy Image, and Jews and Christians will remain dedicated to the Covenant by playing an active role together in redeeming the world.”
The document, which was signed by 25 rabbis at the time of writing, was published on the site of the Israel-based Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, one of the statement’s initiators, and founder of the CJCUC, said the “real importance” of the 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”. “Jews and Christians must be in the forefront of teaching basic moral values to the world,” he said.
Rabbi Dr Eugene Korn, academic director of the CJCUC, said the 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”. “Given our toxic history, this is unprecedented in Orthodoxy.”
~ www.cjcuc.com/site/2015/12/03/orthodox-rabbinic-statement-on-christianity/
