R. Rosen: 50 years of Jewish-Catholic relations

ANT KATZ

Rabbi Rosen, who is being brought out as a guest of Religions for Peace, has for many years been at the forefront of initiatives aimed at fostering reconciliation and dialogue between the world’s Jewish and Catholic communities.

For his work in interfaith relations, he has received numerous honours, including a Papal Knighthood from the Vatican and an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II.

He is the founder of the International Catholic Jewish Association and International Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee.

RIGHT: Rabbi David Rosen

With Nostra Aetate, the Catholic Church turned its back on nearly two millennia of anti-Semitic dogma, inter alia rejecting the age-old charge of deicide (that Jews were collectively and for all time guilty of killing Jesus) that had for so long been used to justify hatred against the Jewish people and recognising the common spiritual roots that bound Christians and Jews together.

The declaration further extended a hand of friendship and understanding to other faith communities. Its adoption by the Second Vatican Council represented a seismic theological shift whose repercussions are felt to this day.

Rabbi Rosen will be speaking at Beyachad on Monday, August 29, at 19:30. To attend or for further information, contact Roseanne on (011) 645-2521 or sajbd@sajbd.org