The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning is devoted to the multifaceted development and implementation of new relationships between Christians and Jews that are based, not merely on toleration, but on full respect and mutual enrichment. The building of new, positive relationships between Christians and Jews requires sustained collaborative research. Under the Center's auspices, scholars and thinkers representing diverse听Christian and Jewish听perspectives engage in intense and ongoing study of all aspects of our related yet distinct traditions of faith and culture.
Contact
Center for Christian-Jewish Learning
艾可直播 College
Stokes Hall N405
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
cjlearning@bc.edu
617-552-4495
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Mission
The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning is devoted to the multifaceted development and implementation of new relationships between Christians and Jews that are based not merely on toleration but on full respect and mutual enrichment. This defining purpose flows from the听Mission of 艾可直播 College听and responds to the vision expressed in Roman Catholic documents ever since the Second Vatican Council.
The building of new, positive relationships between Jews and Christians requires sustained collaborative听academic research. Therefore, under the Center's auspices scholars and thinkers representing diverse Jewish and Christian perspectives engage in intense and ongoing study of all aspects of our related yet distinct traditions of faith and culture.听
Educationally, we are committed to the goal that "Jews and Judaism should not occupy an occasional and marginal place in [Christian religious education]: their presence there is essential and should be organically integrated" (Notes, 2).听 We are convinced that Jews and Christians enrich and deepen their respective听identities by joint educational endeavors. The Center is thus dedicated to conducting educational research and to offering programs, both in the university and the wider community, in which Christians and Jews explore their traditions together.听
In short, the Center applies the scholarly resources of a Catholic university to the task of encouraging mutual knowledge between Christians and Jews at every level (Notes, 27).
[Notes听= Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews,听Notes on the Correct Way to Present Jews and Judaism in Preaching and Teaching in the Roman Catholic Church听(1985).]
Disclaimer: The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at 艾可直播 College maintains this website as part of its mission to promote news, resources, documentation, and information in service of establishing mutually enriching relationships between Christians and Jews.
The opinions contained on this website represent the views of their specific authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the Center for Christian-Jewish听Learning or of the Board of Trustees of 艾可直播 College.
Historical & Theological Background
In the past two millennia, the relationship between Judaism and Christianity has been predominantly hostile. Social and religious pressures induced early Church leaders to develop anti-Jewish teachings that shaped Christian thought until the twentieth century. Several religious claims contributed to a theology known today as supersessionism - because "the Jews" had crucified Jesus, their "Old Covenant" had ended; Jews were doomed to homeless wandering; and the Church had superseded Judaism as God's Chosen People.听 Jews reacted to this with distaste, distrust and a polemic of their own. Over the centuries, the two traditions came to define themselves in opposition to each other and urged avoidance of members of the other community.
After the year 1000, in various times and places, Jews in Europe experienced more intense oppression at the hands of the Christian majority. This included periodic outbursts of local violence and murder against Jewish communities, the requirement to wear identifying badges or clothing, prohibitions from owning land, compulsory attendance at Christian sermons urging baptism, coerced participation in public disputation with Christian preachers, forced expulsion from various regions, confinement within walled ghettoes, and accusations of defiling consecrated communion wafers or of using the blood of murdered Christian children to make Passover matzah.
Thus marginalized in European society, Jews became easy targets of the racist regimes that arose in more recent times.
The 1939-1945 Nazi genocide of Jews in the heart of "Christian" Europe spurred the widespread examination of Christian teachings on Jews and Judaism.
Most Christian communities have rejected supersessionism and condemned antisemitism, but must now dismantle the effects of their prolonged influence and implement theologies and practices that affirm Jewish covenantal life with God. Jews have generally welcomed these initiatives, but are also challenged to interact with new and unfamiliar positive Christian statements in a pluralistic world that itself challenges Jewish identity and continuity.听
The twin听tasks of rethinking the theological relationships between Jews and Christians and of transforming long-standing negative attitudes toward one another requires theologians, scholars in all disciplines, educators, and religious leaders of both traditions to engage in intense dialogue across a range of issues.听Our Center is committed to these endeavors.
Scholarship
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Programs
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Endowment
Center operations are funded by a permanent endowment. The establishing grant for this endowment was given by听John M. Corcoran, 艾可直播 College Class of 1948. Having long seen the need for better understanding between Christians and Jews, Mr. Corcoran donated more than $5 million to ensure that the Center's work of deepening the renewal in Christian-Jewish relations will proceed with full vigor.
In addition, we are grateful for major gifts听to the Center's endowment from Samuel J. and Geraldine Bohn Gerson, Mr. and Mrs. John Fisher, and Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth R. Levine.
Persons interested in assisting the Center in reaching its endowment goal are encouraged to听contact us.
Archives
Under the Center's auspices, diverse Christian and Jewish scholars and thinkers representing various disciplines engage in dialogue.
For past programs, please see our Center Reports.听
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2019-2020 Programs
Is there a New Anti-Semitism? A Panel Discussion with James Bernauer, SJ (艾可直播 College), Susannah Heschel (Dartmouth College), and Mark Silk (Trinity College)
February 18, 2020
Co-sponsored with the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life and BC Hillel.
Seventh Annual John Paul II Lecture in Christian-Jewish Relations
Between the Holocaust and the Nakba: When Genya and Henryk Kowalski Challenged History, Jaffa 1949
Prof. Alon Confino
February 9, 2020
Flyer
What Can We Say about Jewish Groups during the Second Temple Period?
Prof. Shaye J. D. Cohen
November 12, 2019
Flyer
"We are all children of God": Interfaith Relations in Twentieth Century 艾可直播
October 23, 2019
Keynote address by Prof. James Bernauer, S.J., Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.
"That Meant a lot to us": Introductory Remarks at the Opening of the Exhibit "We are all children of God."听
Panel presentation on interfaith relations and dialogue by Prof. Ruth Langer, Professor of Jewish Studies and Associate Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.
(Sponsored by the 艾可直播 College School of Theology and Ministry, the 艾可直播 College Libraries, and the Archdiocese of 艾可直播)
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Hannah Arendt and the Global Refugee Crisis
Prof. Serena Parekh
September 26, 2019
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Welcome Luncheon & Talk: Katharina von Kellenbach, 2019-2020 Corcoran Visiting Chair
September 24, 2019
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2018-2019 Programs
Altruism and Our Responsibility for the Other: Interfaith (Jewish, Christian, and Islamic) and Interdisciplinary Perspectives
May 2, 2019
Flyer
A Yom HaShoah Commemoration: Hitler's听Mein Kampf, Prelude to the Holocaust
April 25-26, 2019
(Sponsors included the 艾可直播 College Art History & Film Department, Jewish Studies, and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning)
Prof. James Bernauer, S.J. presented his talk "Jesuits, Jews and Holocaust Remembrance"
Flyer
2019 Corcoran Chair Conference
MERCIFUL GOD, PUNITIVE GOD: Interdisciplinary Reflection on Scriptural Warrants in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
April 7-8, 2019
Flyer
Matthew and the Jewish Leaders: From Text to Film
Prof. Adele Reinhartz
March 25, 2019
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Understanding Jesus Means Understanding Judaism: A workshop for clergy, religious educators, Bible study leaders, Sunday school teachers, and fellow travelers
Prof. Amy-Jill Levine
October 15, 2018
Flyer
Sixth Annual John Paul II Lecture in Christian-Jewish Relations
Christian Privilege, Christian Fragility, and the Gospel of John: How American Race Relations inform Jewish-Christian Relations
Prof. Amy-Jill Levine
October 14, 2018
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The Jewishness of the Gospel of Mark
Prof. Lawrence Wills
October 3, 2018
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2017-2018 Programs
The Dead Sea Scrolls after 70 Years: What Have We Learned?
Dr. Angela Kim Harkins
April 24, 2018
Co-sponsored with the School of Theology and Ministry.
Fatal Discord: Erasmus, Luther, and the Fight for the Western Mind
Michael Massing
April 19, 2018
Flyer
2018 Yom HaShoah Lecture
Coming to Terms with the Nazi Past after 1945: The Catholic Church and National Socialism
Prof. Mark Edward Ruff
April 12, 2018
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Justification by Faith: The Reason for Separation Between Jews and Christians? Reflections on Paul, Luther, and Jewish Tradition
Prof. Jens Schroter
April 9, 2018
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The 2018 Corcoran Chair Conference
Luther's Anti-Jewish Interpretation of the Bible: A Case Study in Christian-Jewish Relations in Late Medieval Germany
March 25-26, 2018
Flyer
Songs of Liberation: Passover Songs from the Exodus to Today
Robert Cohen
March 20, 2018
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Confronting Racism: The Prophetic Politics of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Prof. Susannah Heschel
November 14, 2017
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. Susannah Heschel spoke in Prof. Ruth Langer's "Exploring the Theologyof Abraham Joshua Heschel" class.
Flyer
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament
Prof. James VanderKam
November 13, 2017
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. James VanderKam spoke in Prof. Angela Harkins' Second Temple Judaisms course on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament.
Flyer
Germans and Jews: History is the Memory of a People
November 12, 2017
The Center hosted a film screening of the film听Germans and Jews. Germany is considered one of the most democratic societies in the world today, assuming the position of moral leader in Europe as it embraces hundreds of thousands of refugees. These developments could not have been imagined in 1945. Through personal stories, the film explores the country's transformation from silence about the Holocuast to facing it head on.
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Charity as a Transformative Experience
November 2, 2017
The Center hosted an interfaith colloquium organized by graduate students form the interfaith and inter-disciplinary seminar "Poverty and the Poor: Between Justice and Charity" The colloquium shared with the wider campus community the work of the seminar; brief presentations on the subject of charity as a transformative practice were followed by a panel discussion concerned with the personal experiences of seminar participants.
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The Other Peace Process: Interreligious Dialogue, A View from Jerusalem
Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish
October 23, 2017
Rabbi Ron Kronish discussed his most recent book听The Other Peace Process: Interreligious Dialogue, A View from Jerusalem听and the issues it addresses: methods and messages of interreligious dialogue, the history and context of the political peace process, and peace-building educational initiatives in Israel and the surrounding region. He offered realism yet hope in addressing the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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Luther in America
Prof. Christine Helmer
October 5, 2017
Prof. Christine Helmer, 2017-2018 Corcoran Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations, spoke at a Boisi Center luncheon on the topic of Luther in America. Searches in the twentieth century for the historical Luther can be seen as a development in viewing Luther from two confessional perspectives. The search for the "Protestant Luther" characterizes Luther scholarship in Germany beginning at the turn of the twentieth century, while the search for the "Catholic Luther" takes the ecumenical spirit of Vatican II as inspiration to see Luther as historically rooted in the Middle Ages. How have American Luther scholars contributed to an emerging understanding of Luther as Catholic theologian who loves philosophy? Prof. Helmer's talk reviewed recent scholarship on Luther in America to address these questions. This event was co-sponsored by the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.
Shores of Light
September 25, 2017
The Center presented a screening of the film听Shores of Light. The film tells the poignant, true story of thousands of displaced persons, Holocaust survivors, who arrived in Southern Italy on their way to the Land of Israel at the end of World War II. Local Italian Catholics, though poor and on the losing side of the war, welcomed them and displayed the ancient Italian tradition of kindness toward the downtrodden. In the beautiful setting of the Italian shore and through the kindness of the local Italian Catholics, the survivors began to recuperate and heal. About 350 Jewish couples married and hundreds of babies were born, a true testament to life and redemption after the Holocaust. The film revolves around three of those babies born, Rivka, Esther, and Shuni, both in Santa Maria de Leuca in 1946, as they return to their birthplace in search of the traces left behind by their parents and reconnect with those Italians who remember those days of resilience and hope on Italy's Shores of Light.
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2016-2017 Programs
Kings and Messiahs: Reconsidering Kingship in the Hebrew Bible, Judaism, and Christianity
Prof. Garrett Galvin
April 6, 2017
Prof. Garrett Galvin, O.F.M., Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture at the Franciscan School of Theology in California, spoke in Prof. Andrew Davis' "Book of Kings" course, expanding our view of kingship in ancient Israel by adding the more positive perspectives of Chronicles and Psalms to the negative assessments of the Book of Kings. Since Israelite kingship is foundational for Jewish and Christian understandings of messiah, his expanded view helps us rethink some of the assumptions that lie behind the concept in each tradition.
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The Gospel of John and Jewish-Christian Relations
April 2-3, 2017
The 2017 Corcoran Chair Conference
The Gospel of John is one of the most beloved books of the Christian canon, appreciated and admired for its sublime theology and poetic language. But the Gospel is also the source of potent anti-Jewish ideas, including the association of the Jews with the devil, that persist to this very day. By focusing on such diverse areas as art, film, music and liturgy, on thinkers such as Luther and Bultmann, on Protestant, Catholic as well as Orthodox Christianity, and, of course, on the Fourth Gospel itself, this conference considered the role that the Gospel has played and continues to play in Jewish-Christian relations.
Flyer
The Music of the Psalms: From King David's Time to Our Own
Robert Cohen
March 22, 2017
Music historian Robert Cohen delivered a musically rich presentation on the Psalms, which occupy a paramount place in the world's liturgy. His lecture addressed: What is it about their spiritual scope and emotional breadth that gives them such power? What can we learn from their language and poetry, and from the听music听of the Psalms: from the time of the Second Temple through the Renaissance, and from Colonial to contemporary America? And how do the diverse styles of their musical settings--cantorial and choral music; Hasidic and American folk; European and American classical; bluegrass and reggae; a cappella, gospel, and "world music"--speak to us and move us?
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The Psalms: Jewish-Catholic Dialogue through Shared Praise
Andrew R. Davis
March 2, 2017
Andrew Davis, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at 艾可直播 College,听delivered a lecture exploring the Psalter as a valuable resource for Jewish-Christian dialogue. Christian readers of scripture have long been enlightened and inspired by Jewish exegesis, and today we have more opportunities than ever to read Scripture through the eyes of other faith traditions. Reading "shoulder to shoulder" with Jews is a way to learn the Psalms' significance in Jewish tradition and also to reflect in new ways about their importance for Christian faith.
The Confessions of the Flesh听in the Foucault Archives
Agustin Colombo
February 23, 2017
Center Visiting Scholar Agustin Colombo delivered a talk on the newly available personal archives of Michel Foucault. The presentation focused on the unpublished 4th volume of the听History of Sexuality: "The Confessions of the Flesh"听housed at the Fonds Foucault. It tackled the Augustinian problematization of desire听(libido). By considering this particular point, the talk aimed to use a key topic of Foucault's unpublished book in order to better approach its relevance for the whole project of the听History of sexuality听and the new perspectives and readings that it opens. This talk took place in conjunction with the Center-sponsored research project "Erotic-Spiritual Articulations of the Early Christian Way of Life: Foreshadowings of Anti-Judaism and Anti-Semitism?"听
Mark, Women, and the Representation of Judaism in Mark 5:21-43
Prof. Mary Rose D'Angelo
February 21, 2017
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. Mary Rose D'Angelo spoke in Prof. Angela Harkins' Gospel of Mark course.
Flyer
Jesus of Hollywood
Adele Reinhartz
November 9, 2016
Prof. Adele Reinhartz, the 2016-2017 Corcoran Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations, delivered a film screening and talk to the Jewish-Christian Dialogue group titled "Jesus of Hollywood." Since the advent of the cinema, Jesus has frequently appeared in our movie houses and on our television screens. Indeed, it may well be that more people worldwide know about Jesus and his life story from the movies than from any other medium. The talk examined a number of clips from the Jesus movies, to chart some of the different ways in which Jesus of Nazareth is remade into Jesus of Hollywood.
Towards the Ends of the Earth: Land in the Jewish-Christian Dialogue
The Fifth Annual John Paul II Lecture in Jewish-Christian Relations
Rev. David Neuhaus, S.J.
October 30, 2016
Flyer
Luncheon Talk by Prof. Dov Waxman
September 27, 2016
Prof. Dov Waxman of Northeastern University gave a talk to the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on his volume听Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict Over Israel听 (Princeton, 2016). The talk and following conversation focused on chapter 1 "The Changing American Jewish Relationship with Israel" and chapter 3 "The Argument About Israel." The book educates readers on the diversity of voices in the Jewish community, a need in contemporary Christian-Jewish dialogue.
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount: For the Law or Against the Law?
September 20, 2016
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. Jonathan Klawans spoke in Prof. Angela Harkins' "Gospel of Matthew" class, situating Jesus' teachings about the law in Matthew's Gospel within a broader late Second Temple context. In addition to his lecture, Prof. Klawans led students in a discussion of purity and the Temple in first-century Judaism.
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2015-2016 Programs
Etty: A Play
April 27, 2016
Etty is a play drawn from the diaries of Etty Hillesum, a poetic, young Dutch woman, searching for the meaning of her life--and all life--during the terror Nazi occupation. This performance at 艾可直播 College was co-sponsored by the Center and the Theology Department.
Poster
A Dedication Honoring Fr. Jakob Raile, S.J.
April 10, 2016
The Center hosted a dedication for Fr. Jakob Raile, S.J., who is recognized by Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Memorial Center as "Righteous Among the Nations" for having risked his life while saving hundreds of Hungarian Jews. Fr. James Bernauer, S.J., Kraft Family Professor and Center Director, delivered welcoming and introductory remarks. Prof. Deborah Dwork, Rose Professor of Holocaust History and Director of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University, spoke on the historical context and heroism of Fr. Raile's actions.
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Fringe Benefits: Marginality and Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean World
2016 Corcoran Chair Conference
April 3-4, 2016
This conference examined the ideas of "hybrid identities" and its component terms--hybridity and identity--by considering a selection of individuals and groups whose activities, allegiances, and/or ideas straddle the boundaries constructed by ancient Jewish, Christian, and pagan leaders.
Flyer
A Catholic Society in Transition: Religion in Recent Quebec Films
February 16 and March 14, 2016
Prof. Adele Reinhartz, the 2015-2016 Corcoran Chair, hosted a two-part film series, featuring films from Quebec that relate, in different ways, to the rapid transformation of Quebec society from one of the most traditionally Catholic societies in the world to one of the most secular. One aspect of such transformation pertains to relationships to "others" including Jews and to other societies, including Israeli/Palestine.
Flyer
A Rebellious Son? Jesus and His Mother at the Wedding in Cana
March 2, 2016
In the Gospel of John, chapter 2, Jesus, his mother, his brothers, and the disciples are at a wedding in Cana in the Galilee. Inexplicably, the wine runs out while the celebrations are in full swing. When Jesus' mother points out the problem to her son, hoping he will help, his answer is surprising: "Woman, what does this have to do with you and me?" This lecture by Prof. Adele Reinhartz, 2015-2016 Corcoran Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations, looked closely at this exchange in the context of the norms and expectations of parent-child relationships in Jewish and Greco-Roman societies, and considered its role in the Gospel's overall presentation of Jesus. This event was co-sponsored by the School of Theology and Ministry and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.
History, Trauma, and Testimony
November 6, 2015
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Dr. Murray Schwartz spoke in Prof. Vanessa Rumble's "Freud and Philosophy" class, discussing the tensions between Holocaust history on the one hand and trauma and testimony on the other.
Flyer
The Politics of Apocalypticism: Assigning Authorship and Jewish-Christian Relations
November 6, 2015
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Dr. Kelley Coblentz Bautch spoke in Prof. Angela Harkins' "Apocalypses and Apocalyptic Literature" class.
Schedule
Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations Fourteenth Annual Meeting
November 1-2, 2015
The Center hosted the Fourteenth Annual Meeting of the听, which included four speaker panels open to the public.
Announcement
A Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of听Nostra Aetate
November 1, 2015
Prof. James O'Toole, Clough Millennium Chair in History at 艾可直播 College, delivered the keynote lecture, titled "艾可直播 and听Nostra Aetate" as part of the Center's "Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of听Nostra Aetate." Prof. James Bernauer, Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, provided introductory remarks. Prof. O'Toole's address was followed by a panel titled "Relations with Jews and the Diverse Christian Communities of 艾可直播" with Rabbi Or Rose, Director of the Center for Global Judaism at Hebrew College; Rev. Michael McGarry of the Paulist Center; Dr. Jennifer Howe Peace, Associate Professor of Interfaith Studies at Andover-Newton Theological School; and Rev. Dr. Demetrios Tonias, Dean of Annunciation Cathedral of 艾可直播. Ruth Langer, Professor of Jewish Studies and Associate Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, served as the panel's moderator.
Announcement
Jesuit Kaddish: Encounters Between Jesuits and Jews and Why These Might Matter to Us
October 26, 2015
Prof. James Bernauer, S.J., Kraft Family Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at 艾可直播 College, spoke at the College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA) and offered an overview of how Jesuits became a leader in dialogue with Jews. He focused on encounters in the 20th century, with special attention on the historical context of the Holocaust. 听
Nostra Aetate听and the Jews: The Relationship Between Augustin Cardinal Bea and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
October, 18, 2015
Prof. Susannah Heschel, the Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, delivered the Fourth听Annual John Paul II Lecture in Christian-Jewish Relations.
Announcement
Welcome Luncheon for Corcoran Chair Adele Reinhartz
October 15, 2015
The Center hosted a luncheon for Prof. Adele Reinhartz, the 2015-2016 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations. Prof. Reinhartz spoke about her current research project "Making a Difference: The Gospel of John and the Parting of the Ways" as well as her upcoming Corcoran Chair Spring Conference and spring semester film series event.
"Nostra Aetate": A Catholic and Jewish Peace Treaty or a Spiritual Breakthrough?
Prof. James Bernauer
October 14, 2015
Prof. Bernauer, Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, delivered a presentation at the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life as part of its fall luncheon colloquium series.
2014-2015 Programs
Dr. Raphael Jospe
April 21, 2015
Dr. Raphael Jospe, professor of Jewish Philosophy at Ariel University in Israel, presented a lecture titled "Zion and Zionism in Jewish and Christian Thought and History" as part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series.
Dr. Joshua Furnal
April 8, 2015
Dr. Joshua Furnal, Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Religion at Dartmouth College, led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group after delivering a talk titled "The Affinity of Strangers: Kierkegaard in Jewish-Catholic Perspective."
Dr. Jay Michaelson
April 1, 2015
As part of its Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Dr. Jay Michaelson, author of听Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment, spoke in Prof. Mark Oppenheimer's "Writing About Religion" Class, discussing the media's treatment of Buddhism in America.
Protestant, Catholic, Jew...Divorcing
2015 Corcoran Chair Conference
March 22-23, 2015
Fifty years ago, it was nearly impossible for Catholics to get annulments. In Orthodox Judaism, only husbands could grant divorces. In evangelical Protestantism, divorced men and women were treated as damaged goods. Today, in all three traditions, times are changing. This conference examined how much, and how fast.
Conference Program
Agreeing to Disagree: How Jews and Christians Read Scripture Differently
Prof. Amy-Jill Levine
March 19, 2015
Although Jews and Christians share common books--the Jewish Tanakh and the Christian Old Testament--we read our shared stories in different ways. Differences in translation, punctuation, definitions, theology, emphasis, and even canonical order all lead to differences in community self-definition. Prof. Levine addressed how we have a conversation if we see the world, and the text, through different lenses. The event was sponsored by the School of Theology and Ministry and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, and generously supported by the Kitz Family in honor of Richard J. Clifford, S.J.
Righteous Among the Nations: A Conference Exploring the Spiritual & Ethical Witness of Holocaust Rescuers
March 12-13, 2015
The Israeli Holocaust Memorial Center, Yad Vashem, has honored over 25,000 individuals with the title "Righteous Among the Nations" for having risked or lost their own livesin rescuing Jewish lives during the Shoah. How do their activities still question us spiritually and ethically? The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at 艾可直播 College sponsored this conference in order to examine the implications of this extraordinary human achievement, accomplished in the midst of genocidal violence.
Poster
Whoever Saves a Single Life
March 9-April 17, 2015
This exhibit by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous showcased some of those rare--but exceedingly important--instances where people fought to safeguard their Jewish fellow citizens during the Holocuast. In a time of overwhelming death and destruction, rescuers did not stand by silently. They chose another way, and their bravery offers us a glimmer of hope. This exhibit was co-sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, the 艾可直播 College School of Theology & Ministry, and the 艾可直播 College Libraries.
J.S. Bach's听St. John Passion: A Performance and Discussion on Anti-Semitism
February 27, 2015
艾可直播 Baroque performed J.S. Bach's well-known and controversial oratorio听St. John Passion听for the first time ever. Prof. James Bernauer, SJ, Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, spoke as part of the pre-concert panel discussion on anti-Semitism.
Linda Gradstein
February 18, 2015
As part of the Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Jerusalem-based NPR reporter Linda Gradstein spoke to Prof. Mark Oppenheimer's "Writing About Religion" class to discuss the dilemmas of covering Jewish/Muslim/Christian ethnic and religious conflict for a secular news organization. She also has branched into documentary and video journalism, and discussed how new media are facilitating better religious and ethnic storytelling.
Michael R. Simone, S.J.
November 5, 2014
Michael R. Simone, S.J., of the School of Theology and Ministry, led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on his paper "Whose Spirit? A Discussion of Divine Immanence."
Alan Rosen
November 4, 2014
As part of its Jewish-Christian Lecture Series and in Commemoration of the 76th Anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Center hosted a public lecture by Alan Rosen, "Turning Disaster Inside Out: Commemorating the Holocaust to Transform the Future."
Dr. Mark Oppenheimer
September 17, 2014
The 2014-2015 Corcoran Visiting Professor, Dr. Mark Oppenheimer, led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on the paper "Next Year in Jerusalem" by the late Jewish feminist critic and reporter Ellen Willis.
2013-2014 Programs
The Gospel of John and the "Parting of the Ways"
April 8, 2014
The Center co-sponsored (with the School of Theology and Ministry) a lecture by Adele Reinhartz, F.R.S.C. on the Gospel of John.
John XXIII and John Paul II: "The Human Rights Popes"
April 2, 2014
Prof. Gerald Beyer delivered a lecture commemorating the canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II.听
Jewish Thinking about Islam and Christianity in Medieval Spain
March 25, 2014
As part of its Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, the Center hosted a lecture by Prof. Jonathan Decter on Jewish literature in the Islamic World during the medieval period.
Jews, Christians, & Visuality
March 9-10, 2014
The听2014 Corcoran Chair Conference听brought together art historians, historians, and scholars of text and culture to consider such topics as image as text, iconography as exegesis, the book as material culture icon, and the possibilities for (and discontents of) historical localization and contextualization.
Program
In Quest of the Jewish Mary
February 25, 2014
The Center co-sponsored (with the School of Theology & Ministry) a lecture by Mary Christine Athans, B.V.M. which explored what Mary's experiences might have been as a Jewish woman, including her prayer life.
The Jewishness of Jesus: Renewing Christian Appreciation
February 16, 2014
Rev. Dr. Christian M. Rutishauser, S.J., Provincial of the Swiss Jesuits, delivered the Third听Annual John Paul II Lecture听in Christian-Jewish Relations.听
"The Tragic Couple": Encounters Between Jews and Jesuits
February 12, 2014
The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning hosted a reception on the occasion of this publication (Brill 2013), edited by Prof. James Bernauer, S.J., Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center, and Dr. Robert Maryks, Jesuit Institute Visiting Scholar.
T. S. Eliot, Anti-Semitism, and the Problem of Cumulative Effect
February 7, 2014
The Center hosted a luncheon lecture and discussion led by Prof. Jayme Stayer, S.J. on the poet T. S. Eliot.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
January 30, 2014
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. Susannah Heschel spoke about her father's theological method in the context of Christian theology and philosophies of religion.
Through a Lens Darkly
November 13, 2013
Prof. John Michalczyk and Prof. Raymond Helmick, S.J. led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on their book听Through a Lens Darkly: Films of Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing, and Atrocities听(Peter Lang Publishers, 2013). Prof. Helmick introduced the notion of genocide, Prof. Rifat Sonsino spoke about the Armenian genocide, and Prof. Michalczyk elaborated on the growing consciousness of the Shoah through the visual image.
Gavriel D. Rosenfeld
November 7, 2013
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. Gavriel Rosenfeld, Prof. of History and Director of the Undergraduate Program in Judaic Studies at Fairfield University, delivered a lecture based on his book听Building after Auschwitz: Jewish Architecture and the Memory of the Holocaust听(Yale, 2011).
Marc Michael Epstein, Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group
October 2, 2013
Prof. Marc Michael Epstein, the 2013-2014 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations, led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group based on his article "Jewish Visuality: Myths of Aniconism and Realities of Creativity."
Out of Cordoba
September 18, 2013
The Center co-sponsored (with Islamic Civilization & Societies Program) a viewing of听Out of Cordoba, a documentary about Averroes the Muslim, and Maimonides the Jew, the two leading thinkers of Islamic Spain. The film explores the historical importance of these two "wise men of Cordoba," as well as their contemporary impact on today's Jews, Muslims, and Christians, and interfaith relations.
2012-2013 Programs
Encountering Afresh the Mystery of Good and Evil: New Documentary Films by Pierre Sauvage and Enduring Jewish, Christian, and Secular Perspectives
April 22-23, 2013
The Center sponsored a two-day conference on the themes of good and evil. Pierre Sauvage, of the Chambon Foundation and Varian Fry Institute, gave the Keynote Presentation which included his films听Three Righteous Christians听and selections from听And Crown Thy Good: Varian Fry in Marseille. The conference was generously supported by the Agoos Charity Fund.
Conference Program
The Psalter in Words, Art, and Music
April 14, 2013
The 2013 Corcoran Chair Conference on the Psalms was an interdisciplinary and interfaith gathering of scholars, musicians, and artists. Prof. Marc Brettler of Brandeis University delivered the Keynote Address.听
Conference Program
How the Catholic Church Overcame its own Theology and Discovered that God Loves the Jews
April 7, 2013
Prof. John Connelly of the University of California at Berkeley delivered the Center's annual Yom HaShoah lecture. His lecture was based on his latest book听From Enemy to Brother: The Revolution in Catholic Teaching on the Jews, 1933-1965听(Harvard University Press, 2012). Dr. Victoria Barnett of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC and Dr. Philip A. Cunningham of St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia were lecture respondents.
The Pope's Last Crusade: How and American Jesuit Helped Pope Pius XI's Campaign to Stop Hitler
March 25, 2013
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, award-winning reporter and author Peter Eisner spoke about his most recent book (William Morrow, 2013). This lecture was co-sponsored by the History Department Core Program.
"Mind the Gap": Bridging One Dozen Lacunae in Jewish-Catholic Dialogue
March 20, 2013
Rabbi Michael J. Cook, Ph.D., Bronstein Prof. of Judeo-Christian Studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, delivered the Second Annual John Paul II Lecture in Christian-Jewish Relations.听
Lecture Booklet
Philip Endean, SJ, Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group
March 13, 2013
Philip Endean, SJ, of the University of Oxford and the current Gasson Professor at 艾可直播 College, led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on John Connelly's听From Enemy to Brother: The Revolution in Catholic Teaching on the Jews, 1933-1965听(Harvard University Press, 2012).
Alan Wolfe, Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group
February 13, 2013
Alan Wolfe, Ph.D., Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at 艾可直播 College, led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on the draft of a chapter from the book on Jewish themes that he is currently writing.
Musical Testimony and the Holocaust
November 8, 2012
Joseph Toltz, from the University of Sydney, gave a public lecture titled "Musical Testimony and the Holocaust." The event was co-sponsored by the Center, the Institute for the Liberal Arts, the Music Department, and the Jesuit Institute.
Transposing Broadway
November 7, 2012
Prof. Stuart Hecht, Associate Professor in the 艾可直播 College Theater Department, spoke to the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on his recently published book听Transposing Broadway: Jews, Assimilation, and the American Musical听(2011).
Maimonides and Gersonides
November 1, 2012
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. Alfred L. Ivry (Professor Emeritus, New York University, Skirball Professor of Jewish Thought) gave a lecture titled "Maimonides and Gersonides on Omniscience and Free Will." The event was co-sponsored by the Center and the Institute of Medieval Philosophy and Theology.
A Jesuit Spiritual Insurrection
October 3, 2012
Prof. James Bernauer, SJ, Center Director and Kraft Family Professor, spoke to the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group about the Center's July 2012 international conference on Jesuits and Jews and his own contribution to the conference, "A Jesuit Spiritual Insurrection."
2011-2012 Programs
"The Tragic Couple": Encounters Between Jews & Jesuits
An International Conference
July 9-13, 2012
Driven by a desire for deepening the understanding and friendship between the Jewish people and the Society of Jesus, the Center organized an international conference on the history, nature, dynamics, and current status of the relation between Jews and Jesuits. It brought together scholars of different backgrounds to converse on this topic from an interdisciplinary perspective: biblical exegesis, history, literature, philosophy, theology, and spirituality.
Conference Flyer
The John J. Burns Library at 艾可直播 College also hosted an exhibit in conjunction with "The Tragic Couple" Conference.
Exhibit Flyer
Absolved from the Guilt of the Past? Memory as Burden and as Grace in the Post-War Lives of Perpetrators of the Shoah
April 19, 2012
Prof. Katharina von Kellenbach, Professor of Religious Studies at St. Mary's College of Maryland, gave a public lecture commemorating听Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Her current research project and forthcoming publication听"The Mark of Cain": Prison Chaplains Counsel Perpetrators of the Shoah听is based on the historical records of prison chaplains' pastoral work with Nazi perpetrators in post-war Germany and examines the political implications of the Christian theological emphasis on forgiveness.听
Lights of the Past, Enlightening the Future
April 18, 2012
艾可直播 Inter-Religious Dialogue Students (BIRDS)听at 艾可直播 College held a Christian-Jewish prayer service commemorating听Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Prayer Service Program
Cursing the Christians? The History of the Birkat Haminim
April 18, 2012
Prof. Ruth Langer, Associate Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning and Professor of Jewish Studies at 艾可直播 College, gave a presentation and led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on her recent publication听Cursing the Christians? A History of the听Birkat Haminim (Oxford University Press, 2012).
Levinas, Biblical Exegesis, and Literature
March 18-19, 2012
The 2012 Corcoran Chair Conference was an interfaith and interdisciplinary gathering of philosophers, theologians, and literary scholars. Its purpose was to study how the newly expanded Levinas corpus can help us be better readers of the Bible and literature in general. Keynote speakers were Dr. Catherine Chalier, Professor of Moral Philosophy and Jewish Thought at the University of Paris; Dr. Sean Hand, Professor of French at the University of Warwick; and Dr. Marvin A. Sweeney, Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Claremont Lincoln University and the Claremont School of Theology.
Conference Program
Pope John Paul II on Christian-Jewish Relations: His Legacy, Our Challenges
March 1, 2012
Rev. John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, Ph.D. gave the Center's inaugural Annual John Paul II Lecture in Christian-Jewish Relations. Rev. Pawlikowski is a Professor of Social Ethics at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at the CTU's Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Center; he is the author of more than fifteen books on Christian-Jewish relations and a leading figure in Christian-Jewish dialogue worldwide.听
Copy of lecture
Maritain in America: The Turbulent History of the Committee of Catholics for Human Rights
February 15, 2012
Prof. Charles Gallagher, SJ, an assistant history professor at 艾可直播 College, lead a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group about his research on the efforts of some Catholics to articulate anti-Semitism as a violation of human rights.
Cushing, Spellman, O'Connor: The Surprising Story of How Three American Cardinals Transformed Catholic-Jewish Relations
February 7, 2012
Rabbi James Rudin spoke about his latest book, which explains how Cardinals Richard Cushing and Francis Spellman influenced the Second Vatican Council to adopt听Nostra Aetate听and how Cardinal John O'Connor transformed that document's sentiments into practical results a general later.听
The Christian Churches in Nazi Germany
November 17, 2011
Prof. Kevin Spicer, C.S.C., the James J. Kenneally Distinguished Professor of History at Stonehill College, gave a public lecture on the relationships between Christian churches--both the Roman Catholic and the Protestant churches--and the German state under National Socialism. This event was part of the Center's Christian-Jewish Lecture Series.
Yom Kippur in Amsterdam
November 16, 2011
Prof. Maxim Shrayer, Professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies at 艾可直播 College, led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on his collection of short stories听Yom Kippur in Amsterdam听(Syracuse University Press, 2009). The eight short stories trace the lives and relationships of Jewish-Russian immigrants, poignantly exploring Jewish-Christian relations and specifically focusing on Jewish-Catholic love, marriage, and conversion.
Re-establishing the Internal "Thou" in Testimony of Trauma
October 13, 2011
Dr. Dori Laub, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University and a psychoanalyst in private practice, spoke on the creative narration that may emerge from and ameliorate trauma, highlighting the efforts of individual victims to distill a kind of "moral history" from trauma. Dr. Laub also discussed the nature of the therapeutic action of psychoanalysis, particularly how the simultaneous elusiveness and insistence of trauma, and the consequent distortion of experience (Nachtraglichkeit), affect a victim's hard-won path to recollection. This event was cosponsored by the Center and the Psychoanalytic Studies Program and was part of the Center's Christian-Jewish Lecture Series.
The Theology of the Book of Jonah
October 5, 2011听
Prof. Theodore A. Perry, the Center's听2011-2012 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations, led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on the Book of Jonah, based in part on his book听The Honeymoon is Over: Jonah's Arguments with God听(Hendrickson, 2006).听
Beyond Catholic-Jewish Dialogue: A New Paradigm for the 21st Century
October 4,听2011
In the Fourth Annual School of Theology听and Ministry Lecture, cosponsored by the STM and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, Rabbi Daniel L. Lehmann spoke about the progress made in Catholic-Jewish relations in the decades following the Holocaust and Vatican II. While dialogue was the model for this sacred work in the latter part of the 20th century, Rabbi Lehmann听presented a new metaphor and a new vision for the 21st century: Jews and Christians as "learning partners." Rabbi Lehmann is a Jewish innovator who has devoted his career听to pluralistic Jewish education. He is the president of Hebrew College in Newton, MA. Rev. David C. Michael--the pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Needham, MA and Associate Director, Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of 艾可直播--was the evening's respondent.听
Representation of the Holocaust in Film
September 27, 2011听
Sharon Pucker Rivo, co-founder and Executive Director of the National Center for Jewish Film, spoke on issues of antisemitism shown in film. She addressed how film about the Holocaust can educate, and with respect听to rescue, inspire others to have the courage to stand up against oppressive forces. This lecture was part of the Center's Christian-Jewish Lecture Series.
Spirituality and Action: An Introduction to the Life and Works of Abraham Joshua Heschel
September 20, 2011
Prof. Edward K. Kaplan of Brandeis University spoke on the life and writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the most beloved and influential Jewish theologians of his day, and how they provided a meeting ground for Christians, Jews, and Muslims on such听topics as prayer, mysticism, religious education, the Holocaust, Israel and the Diaspora, interfaith relations, civil rights, and the Vietnam war. This lecture was part of the Center's Christian-Jewish Lecture Series.
2010-2011 Programs
Moving Toward Reconciliation: From Painful Past to Hopeful Future
April 11, 2011
A Christian-Jewish Prayer Service was hosted by听艾可直播 Inter-Religious Dialogue Students (BIRDS) at 艾可直播 College.听
Prayer Service Program
Competing Discourses: Jewish-Christian Dialogue in a Multifaith World, Christian Scholars Group Annual Meeting
April 8-10, 2011
The Center hosted the听Christian Scholars Group听for their 2011 Annual Meeting. 听A public forum included panelists Dr. Catherine Cornille, Dr. Peter Pettit, Dr. Jennifer Peace, Dr. Mary Boys, and Dr. Jean-Pierre Ruiz.
Are Jews and Christians Living in a Post-Polemical World? Toward a Comparison of Medieval and Modern Christian-Jewish Encounters听
March 28-29, 2011
In the 2011 Corcoran Chair Conference, nine scholars from various disciplines explored the question of whether our world is truly post-polemical given all the changes in atmosphere and the emerging dialogue in Christian-Jewish relations. The first part of the conference examined medieval polemics while the second part of the conference focused on the contemporary scene. Dr. David Berger, Professor of Jewish History at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies of Yeshiva University, delivered the keynote address "The Shifting Dynamic of the Jewish-Christian Encounter from the Middle Ages to the Present." Other presenters included Dr. Daniel J. Lasker, Dr. Robin Vose, Dr. Alexandra Cuffel, Dr. Irven Resnick, Dr. Mary C. Boys, Dr. Eugene Korn, Rev. Dr. Christopher M. Leighton, and Dr. Adam Gregerman.听
Conference Program
Revolt of the Colonized, Prof. Susannah Heschel
March 16, 2011
Prof. Heschel, Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group based on her article "Revolt of the Colonized: Abraham Geiger's听Wissenschaft des Judentums听as a Challenge to Christian Hegemony in the Academy."听
Street听Smart:听New York City's听Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese,听Prof. Richard Blake, SJ
November 17, 2010
Prof. Blake, co-director of the film studies program at 艾可直播 College, led a discussion with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group听based on his book听Street听Smart: The New York of Lumet, Allen, Scorsese, and Lee. Prof. Blake听compared and contrasted the stories, character portrayals, and themes of the听quintessentially New York filmmakers听Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese.
T.听S. Eliot and Anti-Semitism, Dr. Jayme Stayer, SJ
October 25, 2010
Dr. Stayer, a student at the 艾可直播 College School of Theology and Ministry, gave a lecture on recent developments in the scholarship on rhetorical analysis of anti-Semitism in the work and letters of T. S. Eliot. An expert on the work of the 20th-century poet and critic, Dr. Stayer is finishing a book project,听Becoming T. S. Eliot: The Rhetoric of Voice and Audience in听Inventions of the March Hare, and serves on the Board of Directors of the T. S. Eliot Society.
Changing Face of the听Jewish-Christian Debate, Prof. Daniel听Lasker
October 13, 2010
Prof. Daniel听Lasker, the new Corcoran Visiting Professor at the Center, led a discussion听with the interdisciplinary Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group on the "Changing Face of the Jewish-Christian Debate." The discussion was based on two readings: "The Book of听Nestor the Priest,"听听a Jewish polemical text from the Middle Ages, and听Jews and听'Jewish Christianity'听(1978) by David Berger and Michael Wyschogrod, a contemporary听and consistently respectful Jewish text.听
The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest's Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million听Jews, Fr. Patrick Desbois
September 26, 2010
This public lecture featured Fr. Desbois, a French Catholic priest and president of the Yahad-In Unum Association, who has devoted his life to confronting antisemitism听and furthering Catholic-Jewish听understanding. Since 2001, working听closely with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum--whose archives are听aiding his search, Desbois and his team have crisscrossed the countryside in Ukraine in an effort to locate every mass grave and site at which Jews were killed during听the Holocaust. To date, they have identified 800 of an estimated 2,000 locations. They are听collecting artifacts and recording testimonies from eye witnesses--many of whom are speaking publicly for the first time. Fr. Desbois' book听The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest's Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews听is the winner of the 2008 National Jewish Book Award.
2009-2010 Programs
Terrorism and Self-Determination in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Tomis Kapitan
April 23, 2010
Sponsored by the Israeli-Palestinian Graduate Seminar, this public lecture featured Tomis Kapitan, a specialist in the International Ethics of Terrorism and a听professor听of Philosophy at Northeastern Illinois University.
Was There a "Golden Age"听of Christian-Jewish Relations?
April 14-15, 2010
In this two-day international conference,听twelve Jewish and Christian scholars, in a series of panels, explored historical periods which might be considered "Golden Ages" during which Jews and Christians lived together harmoniously. The scholars included Jonathan S. Ray, Margaret Jennings, Yaacov Ariel, Eliya Ribak, Jonathan Elukin, Magda Teter, Hillel Kieval, Debra Kaplan, Francesca Bregoli, Miriam Godian and David Katz. The Most Reverend听bishop Richard J. Sklba, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, delivered the keynote address: Is This the Golden Age of Christian-Jewish Relations?听
The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany, Susannah Heschel and Kevin P. Spicer, C.S.C.
April 12, 2010听
In this public lecture, Susannah Heschel addressed the theme of her 2008 book in which she examines the membership and activities of the Institute for the Study and Eradication of Jewish Influence on German Religious Life. Based on years of archival research, Heschel shows that during the Third Reich this Institute became the most important propaganda organ of German Protestantism, exerting a widespread influence and producing a nazified Christianity that placed antisemitism at its theological center. Members of the Institute formed a community of like-minded Nazi Christians who remained active in Germany's post-war years. Kevin Spicer, C.S.C., professor of History at Stonehill College responded to Heschel.听
The Jesuit Order as a Synagogue of Jews: Jesuits of Jewish Ancestry and Purity of Blood Laws in the Early Society of Jesus, Robert A. Maryks
February 24, 2010
On the occasion of the publication of his book听The Jesuit Order as a Synagogue of Jews,听Robert Maryks explained how Christians with Jewish family backgrounds went within less than 40 years from having a leading role in the Foundation of the Society of Jesus to being prohibited from membership in it. In his book, Maryks works at the intersection of two important historical topics--the early modern histories of the Jesuit order and of Iberian "purity of blood" concerns. His analysis of听pro- and con-verso texts advances our understanding of early modern institutional Catholicism as religious reform interacted with the new racism in Spain and its broader diffusion.
Freud's "Moses and Monotheism": In its Historical Setting, Michael Mach
February 16, 2010
Mach contended that Freud's last work "Moses and Monotheism" has remained a puzzling piece even 70 years after its publication. Attempts to solve the riddle by "analyzing" Freud's personal problems may have brought some insights, and yet they do not explain the inconsistencies in "Moses" nor Freud's obsession with it. Mach suggested that we read it as part of the anti-Facist literature that had brought forth a series of "historical novels" mostly by German writers in exile but also sometimes within Germany as well. Mach's proposed interpretation is that Freud's text be considered a work of literary fiction with a political aim.
The Word Set Free: Presenting the New Testament in its First Century Context, Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., David Michael, and Celia Sirois
January 27, 2010
This Colloquium paid tribute to Fr. Harrington for his many contributions to help bridge the historic chasm between Judaism and Christianity, and it marked the 2009 publication of his book听The Synoptic Gospels Set Free: Preaching without Antisemitism. It opened with a presentation by Daniel Harrington, S.J. Three panelists with academic and pastoral experience in the American context engaged with Fr. Harrington, each other, and the audience to explore the pastoral and educational implications of Fr. Harrington's presentation.听The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Where We Are and How We Got There, Mark Tessler
December 17, 2009
Sponsored by the Israeli-Palestinian Graduate Seminar, this public lecture featured one of America's most distinguished specialists in the Arab-Israeli conflict, Mark Tessler, Samuel J. Eldersveld Collegiate Professor and Director of the International Institute at the University of Michigan.听
Anti-Americanism and Antisemitism: The Uneasy Connection, Robert Wistrich
November 5, 2009
This event was a public lecture given by Robert Wistrich, the director of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.听
2008-2009 Programs
From Denial to Acceptance: Holy See-Israel Relations, H. E. Mordechay Lewy
June 17, 2009
In the aftermath of Pope Benedict XVI's听pilgrimage to the Holy Land, May 8-15, 2009, the Center presented this public lecture by the Ambassador of Israel to the Holy See, H. E. Mordechay Lewy. His lecture inaugurated a closed working conference held on June 18, 2009 on听The Holy See and Israel: The Diplomacy of Engagement.听
The Rescue of Jews by Non-Jews During the Holocaust, Mordecai Paldiel
April 21, 2009
This public lecture by the former director of the Department of the Righteous at Yad Vashem helped mark the 2009 Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Paul of Tarsus: Apostle to the Gentiles in His Jewish Context
March 15-16, 2009
With this two-day public conference, the Center marked the Church's Jubilee Year dedicated to Paul. It honored the听memory and contributions of the Pauline听scholar, Bishop Krister Stendahl. The following scholars presented papers at the conference: Alan Segal, Barnard College; Ruth Langer, 艾可直播 College; Daniel J.听Harrington, S.J., 艾可直播 College; Bernadette Brooten, Brandeis University, Thomas Stegman, S.J., 艾可直播 College; Adam Gregerman, Institute for Christian-Jewish Studies, Baltimore; Pheme Perkins, 艾可直播 College; Shaye J.D. Cohen, Harvard University. Tributes to the late Krister Stendahl were offered by Helmut Koester, Harvard Divinity School, Daniel Harrington, S.J., Pheme Perkins, and Bernadette Brooten.
Celebrating the Life and Ministry of Fr. Stanislaw Musial, S.J.
March 4-6, 2009
The Center co-sponsored this major conference in Krakow, Poland, which marked the 5th anniversary of Fr. Musial's death. Fr. Musial (1938-2004), a pioneer of Jewish-Christian reconciliation in Poland, was intensely committed to combating antisemitism. He was one of the strongest and most forthright voices in the Polish Catholic Church for tolerance and mutual understanding, and was intensely devoted to combating antisemitism and xenophobia. James Bernauer, S.J. presented the paper "From European Anti-Jesuitism to German Anti-Jewishness: A Tale of Two Texts." Other prominent speakers included Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwicz, Archbishop of Krakow, and Rabbi听David Rosen, International Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American-Jewish Committee.
Israel After the Election, Raymond Cohen
February 26, 2009
This was a public lecture given by the Center's Corcoran Visiting Chair.
Remembering Auschwitz and the Beginning of Jewish-Christian Dialogue, Paolo Gamberini, S.J.
November 6, 2008
Paolo Gambarini, S.J. professor of Theology at the Pontifical Theological Faculty San Luigi, Naples, presented this public lecture in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of Kristallnacht.
2007-2008 Programs
Palms, Fish, and Fountain: The Jewish and Christian Contexts of the Hammam Life Synagogue, Robin Jensen and Steven Fine
March 27, 2008
The Center co-sponsored this public event with the McMullen Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibition听Tree of Paradise: Jewish Mosaics from the Roman Empire.
Responding to International Conflict: Challenges for Christian-Jewish Dialogue
November 7 and 14, 2007
On November 7, David Hollenbach, S.J., Rodeny L. Petersen, and听Rabbi Or Rose addressed the topic "Jewish and Christian Approaches to Peacemaking and War."听
A week later, on November 14, Ruth Lautt, O.P. Founder and National Director of Christians for Fair Witness of the Middle East spoke on "The Church's Witness on Issues in the Arab-Israeli Conflict." Ruth Langer, Center Associate Director, responded.听
2006-2007 Programs
Blasphemy, Free Expression, and Journalistic Ethics
March 26, 2007
This one-day conference examined conflicts that arise when religious values confront the journalistic ethics of free speech and free press. In the wake of such controversies as the Danish anti-Islamic cartoons and Pope Benedict's lecture at the University of Regensburg, the conference explores the role of religious sensibilities in a free press. Co-sponsored with the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at 艾可直播 College, Eastern Nazarene College, the Jesuit Institute, 艾可直播 College Magazine, and the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics. Speakers include Charles Haynes, the First Amendment Center; Imam Talal Eid, Islamic Institute of 艾可直播; Lawrence Lowenthal, American Jewish Committee; Rev. Edward M. O'Flaherty, SJ, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of 艾可直播; Eric Severson, Eastern Nazarene College; Monica Brady-Meyron, WBUR/NPR; Michael Paulson,听The 艾可直播 Globe; Gustav Neibuhr, Syracuse University; Hanna Rosin,听The Washington Post.听
From Revenge to Reconciliation: An Israeli and a Palestinian Find Hope After the Violent Death of Family Members
March 20, 2007
Ali Abu Awwad from Hebron and Nella Cassouto from Jerusalem described the painful losses their families have experienced and how they have turned to reconciliation as their hope for the future. Moderated by Thomas J. Fitzpatrick, SJ, Director of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Jerusalem, this program was cosponsored by the Center and the Gasson Chair in Theology, the BC Jesuit Community, the Jesuit Institute, and the Office for University Mission and Ministry.
Understanding Christian Support for Israel, JoAnn Magnuson and Philip A. Cunningham
March 14, 2007
In times of prolonged conflict, opinions tend to become polarized. Civil and reasoned discussions that present various viewpoints become more difficult to achieve, causing the situation to deteriorate even further. JoAnn Magnuson, Interfaith Relations Director of Bridges for Peace, is an "Evangelical Protestant and self-confessed Christian Zionist" who brought these perspectives to the conversation. In this presentation, she discussed key issues in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with a view to supersessionism and restorationism. Philip A. Cunningham, Executive Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning offered a response from a Roman Catholic viewpoint. 听
Religious Pluralism without Relativism: The Significance of Jerusalem in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Raphael Jospe
February 19, 2007
This听lecture was presented by Dr. Raphael Jospe,听author, editor, and professor of Jewish philosophy at Bar Ilan University in Israel. His presentation drew from his experience in interreligious collaboration,听including his service as chair of the Jerusalem Rainbow Group, the oldest Christian-Jewish dialogue group in Jerusalem.听
Heschel and King: Legacy and Responsibility, Cornel West
December 10, 2006
One of the most influential religious leaders of the 20th century, Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) called to, and was heeded by, both Jews and Christians. He passionately challenged Jews and Christiasn to become God's partners in the creation of a just and compassionate world. He marched for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. and was a leader in the anti-Vietnam War movement. To celebrate the centennial of Heschel's birth, Andover-Newton Theological School, the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at 艾可直播 College, the 艾可直播 Theological Institute and Hebrew College cosponsored "Spiritual Audacity and Social Justice: Abraham Joshua Heschel--A Centennial Celebration." Featured speakers included Arthur Green, a leading authority on Jewish spirituality and Jewish thought; Susannah Heschel, Heschel's daughter and a noted scholar and activist; and Cornel West, one of the nation's most popular and thought-provoking intellectuals.听
Christ and the Jewish People
October 19-22, 2006
This was an international theological project that began with a consultation held for several days in Aricca, near Rome. The participating scholars spent time exploring this meta-question: How might we Christians in our time reaffirm our faith claim that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all humanity, even as we affirm Israel's covenantal life with God?听
Dietrich Bonhoeffer for Our听Times: Jewish and Christian Perspectives
September 17-18, 2006
This Bonhoeffer Centenary Conference at 艾可直播 College, was co-sponsored by the Center, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Andover Newton Theological School. Scholars addressed the following: What is Bonhoeffer's legacy for the Jewish-Christian relationship today? His record of political opposition to Nazism is clear. Does his contribution to Christian ethical reflection and activism have implications for non-Christians? What is Bonhoeffer's place as a theological and political figure in the legacy of the Holocaust? The following Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant scholars reflected on his witness and its legacy for our times. Donald Dietrich, Matthew Hockenos, Marc Krell, Rodney Petersen, Victoria Barnett, Stephen Haynes, Shai Held, Lisa Dahill, Stephen Pope, Or Rose, David Gushee, James Bernauer, and Clifford Green.听
2005-2006 Programs
Never Again? From Auschwitz to Darfur: A Commemoration of the Nazi Genocide through a Current Prism
April 25, 2006
This observance of Yom Hashoah included remarks by Prof. John Michalczyk (Fine Arts): "Have We Forgotten?"; a film clip introduced by Rev. Liz Walker (WBZ-TV4): "Darfur and Genocide"; and Prof. Khalid Kodi: "Reflections." Music was provided by John Letizi and a candle-lighting ceremony was conducted by BC Hillel. Sponsors included the Fine Arts Department, Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, Jewish Studies Program, BC Hillel, Faith Peace Justice Program, and the Jacques Salmanowitz Program.
Fuller Meanings: Christian and Jewish Readings of the Bible
April 24, 2006
An exploration of the Pontifical Biblical Commission's 2001, "The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible,"听this symposium was co-sponsored听by the 艾可直播 College Theology Department and the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. The event explored how Jews and Christians interpret the Bible--where they differ and where they agree--and suggested how local congregations can make the Bible a richer resource for study and education. Keynoters Gary Anderson and Jon Levenson began the symposium, and were followed by a panel consisting of Philip Cunningham, Daniel Harrington, and Ruth Langer.听
In Our Time: Interreligious Relations in a Divided World
March 16-17, 2006
In a celebration of interreligious collaboration, Brandeis University and 艾可直播 College, through its Center for Christian-Jewish learning, co-sponsored a two-day conference to mark the 40th anniversary of听Nostra Aetate听and explore the nature of interreligious dialogue. The conference provided an exceptional opportunity to explore these topics with a distinguished group of speakers and panelists representing different faiths and traditions. The featured keynoter was Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, who just completed almost twenty years of service as secretary and then president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
Catholics and Jews: The Unfinished Agenda
November 21, 2005
As part of the Center's year-long observance of the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council declaration,听Nostra Aetate, this program featured a screening of the film听I Am Joseph Your Brother, which charts developments in Catholic-Jewish relations since the Declaration's听issuance in 1965. After the film, one of its creators, Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish offered thoughts on the "unfinished agenda" in Catholic-Jewish relations.
Evangelizing in a Religiously Plural Society, Fr. Tom Ryan, CSP
November 18, 2005
Fr. Tom Ryan, CSP, director of the Paulist Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in New York City, discussed how Christian evangelization can occur in the context of simple presence and witness, work for justice and peace, the Church's liturgy and prayer, as well as in the more traditional context of proclamation and catechesis.
Estranged [Br]others: Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity, Adiel Schremer
November 16, 2005
Adiel Schremer, associate professor of ancient Judaism in the department of Jewish History at Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel, spoke on Jewish-Christian relations in Late Antiquity.听
Seeing Judaism Anew in Our Time
October 9, 2005
A two-part celebration of the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate. The first part marked the publication of the Christian Scholars Group's听Seeing Judaism Anew: Christianity's Sacred Obligation, featuring many current and former members of the group. The second part was the unveiling of a commemorative painting for the anniversary co-commissioned by the Center and the Archdiocese of 艾可直播.听
Nostra Aetate Today: Reflections 40 Years after Its Call for a New Era of Interreligious Relationships
September 25-28, 2005
This international conference to mark the fortieth anniversary of the promulgation of the declaration听Nostra Aetate听was hosted by the Institute for the Study of Religions and Cultures with the Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies of the听Pontifical Gregorian University with the co-sponsorship of the Cardinal Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago; the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at 艾可直播 College; the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT; and Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Over three hundred participants from several dozen countries attended plenary sessions that focused on the way in which people of various faiths have come to a new understanding of their own tradition through engagement with another tradition.
2004-2005 Programs
Healing the Holy Land: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Resources for Peace-Making,听Yehezkal Landau
April 21, 2005
Professor Yehezkal Landau discussed the need for a just solution to the conflict in Israel and Palestine that draws upon the spiritual听resources of the three Abrahamic families in the Holy Land.听
Christ's Passion: What's at Stake for Christians and Jews? Personal Meditations for Holy Week
March 15, 2005
A panel of four 艾可直播 College professors offered personal reflections on the meaning of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus for Christians. Panelists are Philip A. Cunningham, Raymond Helmick, SJ,听John Michalczyk, and Louis Roy, OP.听
Early Modern Jewish-Christian Controversies: Spinoza, Modena, and Isaac听of Troki, Daniel Lasker
March 15, 2005
Daniel J. Lasker from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev asked if Jewish and Christian polemics changed after the Enlightenment.听
Faith, Scripture, and the Death Penalty: A Jewish and Christian Dialogue, Ruth Langer and Stephen Pope
March 1, 2005
艾可直播 College theologians Ruth Langer and Stephen Pope discussed Jewish and Christian perspectives on capital punishment.
Should Catholics Seek to Convert Jews? A Panel Discussion
February 9, 2005
A panel of 艾可直播 College theologians revisited the issues raised by听Reflections on Covenant and Mission听and discussed their own approaches to the relevant issues.听
The Catholic Church and the Jewish People from Vatican II to Today
October 19, 2004-January 25, 2005
This was a series of conferences occurring at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and organized by the Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies. The electronic听publishing of these lectures in English on this website is made possible by the collaboration of the Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at 艾可直播 College.听
For the Sake of Heaven and Earth: The New Encounter between Judaism and Christianity, Irving Greenberg
October 19, 2004
Rabbi Greenberg, president of the Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation, is an Orthodox rabbi who for many years has been considering the covenantal relationship between Judaism and Christianity. In his new book, he calls for Christians and Jews to come together in their continuously evolving partnership with God--dual covenants that demand "openness to each other, learning from each other, and a respect for听the distinctiveness of the ongoing validity of each other."听
Of Stars and Shamrocks: 艾可直播's Jews and Irish
September 28, 2004
This event was a screening of John Michalczyk's documentary.
2000-2004 Programs
Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik on Interreligious Dialogue: Forty听Years Later
November 23, 2003
This was a panel presentation and online conversation on whether the Orthodox Jewish community should participate in theological interreligious dialogue with Christians.听
Interreligious Learning:听Christians and Jews Teaching About Each Other
June 16-17, 2002
This event was sponsored by a grant for the Valparaiso Project on the Education & Formation of People in Faith in conjunction with the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.听
Theologies of Covenant and Christian-Jewish Relations
December 3-4, 2001
This event was co-sponsored by the Rabbinic Committee for Interreligious Dialogue and the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at Sacred Heart University.听
Liturgical Issues in Christian-Jewish Relations
June 10-11, 2001听
Setting the Agenda for the 21st Century: The Next Stage of Jewish and Christian Dialogue
June 18-19, 2000
For past news, please see our Center Reports.听
听
2020
May - The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning is pleased to announce the publication of Fr. James Bernauer, S.J., Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center:听Jesuit Kaddish: Jesuits, Jews, and Holocaust Remembrance听(Notre Dame Press, 2020)
April - 艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are pleased to announce the appointment of听Dr. Jesper Svartvik听to the 2020-2021 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
Announcement
2019
April - 艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are pleased to announce the appointment of听Prof. Katharina von Kellenbach听to the 2019-2020 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
Announcement
2018
June -听, the Jesuit House of Dialogue in Budapest, published a Hungarian edition (Hungarian/English translation) of the听Center's 2016 commemorative booklet honoring Fr. Jakob Raile, S.J.听as "Righteous Among the Nations" for having risked his life while saving hundreds of Hungarian Jews.
May -听Fr. James Bernauer, S.J., Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center, was the Guest Editor of the issue of听Journal of Jesuit Studies听devoted to the Jesuits who have been recognized as Righteous by the Holocaust Center in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem. The Journal is an open access.
April - 艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are pleased to announce the appointment of听Dr. John R. "Jack" Miles听to the 2018-2019 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
Announcement
2017
June - 艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are pleased to announce the appointment of听Prof. Announcement Christine Helmer听to the 2017-2018 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
Announcement
March - Prof. James Bernauer, S.J., Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning and Kraft Family Professor, delivered two lectures March 13 and 14 at Christ the King Church and Vanderbilt University Divinity School, on the topic, "A Human Solidarity: Jews, Jesuits, and Holocaust Remembrance."
The Center announces a recipient of the Center's听Junior Scholars Research Grants: Hayyim Rothman, a Philosophy Ph.D. Candidate.
2016
April - 艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are pleased to announce the re-appointment of听Prof. Adele Reinhartz听to the 2016-2017 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
Announcement
The Center announces three recipients of the Center's听Junior Scholars Research Grants: Justin Ilboudo, S.J., a Licentiate in Sacred Theology student; Samantha Fazekas, a M.A. in Philosophy student; and Stephen Rugg, a Licentiate in Sacred Theology student.
2015
April - 艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are pleased to announce the appointment of听Prof. Adele Reinhartz听to the 2015-2016 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
Announcement
April - Prof. James Bernauer, S.J., Center Director, delivered a听homily for Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day)听on April 16, 2015 at the 艾可直播 College School of Theology & Ministry.
homily
The Center announces two recipients of the Center's听Junior Scholars Research Grants: David Clint Burnett, a Ph.D. Theology student, and Zachary Dehm, an M.T.S. student.
2014
June - The Center announces two recipients of the Center's听Junior Scholars Research Grants: Jeong Mun Heo and Jeong Cheol Ha, both 艾可直播 College Th.M. students.
May - The Center announces Grainne McEvoy, Ph.D. (艾可直播 College, 2014, History) as a recipient of a听Junior Scholars Research Grant.
April - 艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are pleased to announce the appointment of听Dr. Mark Oppenheimer听to the 2014-2015 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
Announcement
2013
May - The Center announces Peter Cajka, a 艾可直播 College Ph.D. History Student, as a recipient of a听Junior Scholars Research Grant.
March - 艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning announce the appointment of听Prof. Marc Michael Epstein听to the 2013-2014 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
Announcement
2012
April - The Center announces two Summer 2012 recipients of the Center's Junior Scholars Research Grants: Cristina Richie, a 艾可直播 College master of theology student who will begin her Ph.D. in theological ethics at 艾可直播 College in Fall 2012, and James Daryn Henry, a 艾可直播 College theology Ph.D. student.听
March - 艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning announce the re-appointment of Dr. Theodore A. Perry to the Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations for the 2012-2013 academic year.
2011
December - The Center announces three 2011-2012 academic year recipients of the Center's听Junior Scholars Research Grants: Susan Legere, a 艾可直播 College sociology Ph.D. candidate; Matthew Mohorovich, a 艾可直播 College philosophy Ph.D. student; and Iulia Padeanu, a 艾可直播 College senior.
May -听Celebrating its 10th anniversary year, the Center听is recognized for its promotion of interreligious dialogue and research in听The 艾可直播 College Chronicle.
May - On the occasion of John Paul II's Beatification in Rome on May 1, 2011, the Center establishes an annual John Paul II Lecture in Christian-Jewish Relations. The lecture听honors John Paul's many efforts to overcome the听 divisions between Christians and Jews.
April - 艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning announce the appointment of听Dr. Theodore A. Perry听to the 2011-2012 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
Announcement
April - The Center announces four Summer 2011听recipients of the Center's听Junior Scholars Research Grants: Steven Candido, a 艾可直播 College junior; Rosemary Chandler, a 艾可直播 College sophomore; Caitlyn Duehren, a 艾可直播 College M.T.S. student, and Nicholas Wagner, a 艾可直播 College M.T.S. student.
2010
December - The Center announces two 2010-2011 academic year recipients of the Center's听Junior Scholars Research Grants: Matthew Kruger, a 艾可直播 College Theology Ph.D. student, and Jeffrey C. Witt, a 艾可直播 College Philosophy Ph.D. candidate.
September听-听Prof. Daniel J. Lasker听begins his appointment as the 2010-2011 Corcoran Visiting Chair.
Announcement
June - Dr. Camille Fitzpatrick Markey is appointed Center Associate Director.
2009
September -听Center Director James Bernauer, SJ - Endowed Kraft Professor at 艾可直播 College.
Announcement
June - Raymond Cohen appointed Corcoran Visiting Chair, 2009-2010.
2008
April, 29 -听Center Director Appointed - James Bernauer, SJ
Announcement
Dr. Audrey Doetzel, NDS appointed Associate Director for Administration and Programming.
September 1 -听听Appointment of 2008-2009 Corcoran Visiting Chair - Raymond Cohen.
Announcement
2007
Center Leadership Changes
Announcement
From听The Heights: "Speaker addresses rift between Judaism and Christianity"
Center honored for "Building Bridges of Understanding"
2006
Center and C21 Online launch second online mini-course:听The Birth of Jesus - Two Gospel Narratives
Center's website receives positive academic review
review
Center co-sponsors international theological consultation near Rome:听Christ and the Jewish People
Announcement
Center director in听Commonweal:听"Uncharted Waters: The Future of Catholic-Jewish Relations"
article
Center sponsors online dialogue and forum on this summer's Israeli-Hezbollah conflict
dialogue
Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,听visits 艾可直播 College & Brandeis University
Center produces first online mini-course:听The Death of Jesus - Four Gospel Accounts.听
2005
Center co-sponsors international theological conference in Rome to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Vatican II declaration:听"Nostra Aetate听Today"
Announcement
Center and BC Libraries launch new electronic journal,听Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations, the official journal of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations.
Center's Christian Scholars Group听publishes new book:听Seeing Judaism Anew: Christianity's Sacred Obligation
Announcement
Center and Archdiocese of 艾可直播 commission new painting to mark the fortieth anniversary of听Nostra Aetate:听"In Our Time"
Announcement
Center launches online slideshow in memory of the life and pontificate of Pope John Paul II:听Definer of a New Relationship: John Paul II and the Jewish People
Dr. Audrey Doetzel, NDS appointed Center's Assistant Director for Programs
Announcement
2004
First Center book published,听Pondering the Passion: What's at Stake for Christians and Jews?, edited by the Center director
Announcement
Center co-sponsors third annual New Hampshire Jewish-Catholic Seder
Announcement
Center launches new online resource:听An Annotated Sourcebook: Jewish Understandings of the Other
Center figures prominently in debate over Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." See story from @BC: "Impassioned debate"
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Council of Synagogues publishes听Walking God's Paths: Christians and Jews in Candid Conversation.听This six-part video series for interreligious dialogue among local congregations was produced by the Center. See story from @BC: "Whose Bible?"
Announcement
2003
In memory of Center's founding donor, John Corcoran
Announcement
Center welcomes Torah scroll rescued from the Holocaust to its new home at 艾可直播 College
Article
2002
Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, visits the Center and delivers major address.
report
Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations听forms; Center at 艾可直播 College to serve as administrative headquarters
Center's Christian Scholars Group issues:听"A Sacred Obligation: Rethinking Christian Faith in Relation to Judaism & the Jewish People."
text
2001
Center sponsors panel discussion with听Constantine's Sword听author James Carroll
The听艾可直播 College Chronicle听marks the foundation of the Center: "Dealing with Dialogues"
For past Center news and events, please see our Center Reports.听
October 17, 2024
The Iron Age Southern Levant (nowadays Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, ca. 1000鈥500 BCE) is rich with divine imagery found on various media. These images of gods and goddesses, including poses, attributes, and accompanying animals, offer valuable insights into the region's religion/s. They reveal narratives, some undocumented in written sources (like the Bible), that illuminate local beliefs and traditions. Additionally, the presence of both local and imported imagery highlights cultural interactions and the adaptation of foreign ideas and practices. In his lecture, Prof. Ido Koch surveyed key examples to better understand the complex visual representation of the gods and goddesses in the Iron Age Kingdom of Israel within its broader Southern Levantine context. This event was part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series and jointly sponsored by the听Theology Department and the听Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.
October 9, 2024
Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, Center Director and听Kraft Professor, published an essay on what a Catholic university owes its Jewish students in a time of rising antisemitism
October 8,. 2024
Is America a pluralistic democracy, or is it a divinely ordained promised land for European Christians? These competing visions of the nation have divided us throughout our history. Robert P. Jones, president and founder of PRRI, discussed his New York Times bestselling book,听The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future, which returns to the fateful year when a little-known church doctrine emerged that shaped the way five centuries of European Christians would understand the 鈥渄iscovered鈥 world and the people who populated it. This reframing of American origins exposes the deep historical roots of white Christian nationalism--a hierarchical worldview of God-ordained dominance that is correlated with antisemitic, anti-immigrant, and Islamophobic attitudes, along with denials of systemic racism and an insistence on patriarchal gender roles. Jones explored how the rise of white Christian nationalism today is not just about our partisan divides, but about the future of a pluralistic democracy in the U.S.听This event was jointly sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning and the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life.
October 1, 2024
Associate Director of the Center, Prof. Ruth Langer, published an article on how contemporary prayer books from different strands of the Jewish tradition speak to the relationship between Jews and others.
September 23, 2024
In the 1960s Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik refused to engage in Jewish-Christian theological dialogue, publishing an essay titled 鈥淐onfrontation鈥 in which he presented his reasoning behind his stance. Since this time, however, more and more Orthodox Jews鈥攊ncluding some of his own disciples鈥攈ave broken with him, not only engaging in public Jewish-Christian theological dialogue but arguing forcefully and eloquently for its necessity. (One of these figures is Rabbi Dr. Daniel Ross Goodman鈥檚 own teacher, Rabbi Dr. Irving [鈥淵itz鈥漖 Greenberg.) In his lecture, Rabbi Dr. Goodman told the compelling intellectual and theological story of how this remarkable transition came to pass. This event was co-sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program.听
September 18, 2024
Dr. Peter Ochs鈥 primary scholarship is in philosophy and scripture, or what he calls scripture-based reasoning. He writes as a Jewish philosopher and Jewish theologian, with degrees in anthropology, rabbinics, and philosophy. Much of his work engages Christian theologians. He began his luncheon talk with personal reflections on his work, before turning to his project for the year: studies of reparative reasoning in Jewish and Catholic traditions, which are also reasonings out of non-finite sources.
September 17, 2024
The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning sponsored a panel at the 2024 Annual "Engaging Particularities" Conference, featuring Peter Ochs, Ruth Langer, and Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski.
July 2024
Book Award for Bernauer's Auschwitz and Absolution
Kraft Family Professor Emeritus and former Center Director James Bernauer, S.J.,听was honored with a first place Book Award as editor of听. The book was recognized in the category of Sacraments.听Auschwitz and Absolution听provides a compelling account of a secret and sacramental meeting between Rudolf H枚ss, the Commandant for Auschwitz, and a Polish Jesuit priest. In addition, 17 Christian and Jewish scholars offer a critical challenge to, or celebration of, Christian notions of forgiveness.
July 1-3, 2024
This conference was the joint initiative of departments of Biblical Studies from universities and colleges in Israel, in cooperation with the World Union of Jewish Studies and co-sponsoring institutions from around the globe, including the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at 艾可直播 College. The conference recognized Bible scholars whose research was interrupted鈥揳nd whose personal lives were affected鈥揵y the war begun on October 7, 2023.
April 10, 2024
As part of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. Lawrence M. Wills presented his lecture 鈥淭hrough-lines and Fault-lines: Gospel of John 鈥榃ithin Judaism鈥?鈥 in Prof. Angela Harkins鈥 course "John: Gospel and Letters." The recent trend to interpret New Testament texts 鈥渨ithin Judaism鈥濃擬atthew, Paul, Acts, Hebrews, Revelation鈥攈as also been applied to John. Yet the Gospel of John resists this approach in that 鈥渢he Jews鈥 is very often used for the opponents, those who simply will not believe that Jesus has a direct relation to God. Scholars are now split on this issue: Does John reflect a troubled but ultimately resolvable conflict with the wider body of Jews, or does John embrace a dualism between the 鈥渢rue鈥 followers of Jesus (not听all听followers of Jesus?) and 鈥渢he Jews鈥? Prof. Wills outlined key positions of scholars and proposed a solution to this problem.
April 7-8, 2024
Within the polemical inter-religious context of the Middle Ages, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thinkers developed systematic and sophisticated ways of comparing their own faiths with those of others, including non-monotheists. Although each thinker maintained that his own community鈥檚 system of belief and practice was superior to those of other groups, they nonetheless engaged in a kind of comparative practice that prefigured or arguably lay foundations for the modern study of Comparative Religion. One element of this comparative practice was the production of taxonomies of religions and systems of ranking them, sometimes using the discourse of 鈥減roximity鈥 and 鈥渄istance鈥 to conceptualize their interrelation. In this conference, presenters examined how Muslim, Jewish, and Christian thinkers produced taxonomies and rankings of other religious communities focusing on the underlying reasons for producing the taxonomies adopted and the shifting grounds of comparison itself (doctrine, ritual, revelatory status, prophetology, etc.).
April 3, 2024
The Torah contains three great love commandments: love of God, love of neighbor, and love of the stranger/sojourner. Love of the stranger/sojourner, repeated for emphasis in both Leviticus and Deuteronomy, represents one of the Torah's greatest moral revolutions.听This event was a dialogue between Rabbi Shai Held and Prof. Stephen Pope听to听probe the meaning of the commandment, ask why it was so radical in its (and our) time, and explore the relationship between memory of past sufferings and commitment to present-day love.听
March 21, 2024
As part of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. Matthew Goff presented his lecture 鈥淭he Book of 2 Esdras: Jewish, Christian, Both, Neither鈥 in Prof. Yonder Gillihan's course 鈥淓arly Christianity in Its Jewish Context.鈥 Relatively unknown to most readers of scripture, most of 2 Esdras (also called 4 Ezra) is a Jewish apocalyptic text written around 100 CE, roughly the same time as the composition of the book of Revelation. 4 Ezra offers a crucial window into how Jews in the late first century CE reinvented their traditions in the crucible of national trauma. The book teaches that the diversity and creativity of their responses to losing the temple become harder for us to appreciate if we think about them only through the lens of what later became Christianity and rabbinic Judaism.听This event is sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, the Theology Department, 听the Institute for the Liberal Arts, and the Jewish Studies Program.
March 12, 2024
Did Paul break from Judaism to start a new religion called Christianity? For most readers through history, the answer to this question is a resounding听Yes! But in his lecture, Prof. Matthew Thiessen reasoned that a careful reading of his letters in their historical context demonstrates the thoroughgoing Jewishness of this oft-misunderstood ancient Jew.
February 15, 2024
Peter Ochs,听2024-2025 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations
艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Peter Ochs to the 2024-2025 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
听 听 听 BC Chronicle Article
February 12, 2024
Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, Amy-Jill Levine, Karma Ben Johanan, Michael Azar, and Katharina von Kellenbach, "Christ Jesus the Jew in the Wake of October 7th"听
Center Director听Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski听spoke on a panel about Jewish-Christian relations after October 7. The panel was moderated by former Corcoran visiting professor Katharina von Kellenbach and also included Amy-Jill Levine, Karma Ben Johanan, and Michael Azar.
January 31, 2024
The work of Jewish-Christian relations is built on the premise that confronting antisemitism is a first order priority. At the same time, many scholars involved in Jewish-Christian dialogue tend to treat antisemitism as a thing of the past. Given that antisemitism is now growing at an alarming rate, panelists Rita George-Tvrtkovic (Benedictine University), Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski (艾可直播 College), and Malka Simkovich (Catholic Theological Union)鈥攚ith moderator Glenn Dynner (Fairfield University)鈥攃onsidered how those engaged in Jewish-Christian relations, and interreligious relations more broadly, ought to react to the current moment.听
January 25, 2024
The Center hosted a celebration of the publication听Auschwitz and Absolution: The Case of the Commandant and the Confessor听(Orbis Books, 2023).听 Its editor, James Bernauer, S.J. was joined in a discussion, moderated by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning director Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, with four of the volume鈥檚 interfaith authors: Ruth Langer and Marina McCoy of 艾可直播 College, Serena Parekh of Northeastern University, and Francis X. Clooney, S.J. of Harvard University. This event was co-sponsored by the Jesuit Institute at 艾可直播 College.听
A transcript of the book panel was published on the听 by Jacob Saliba, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of history at 艾可直播 College.
November 7, 2023
Susan Ackerman, "How Does a Woman Get To Be a Prophet in Ancient Israel?"
Prof. Susan Ackerman presented on her latest book Women and the Religion of Ancient Israel. In her work, Prof. Ackerman offers a comprehensive account of ancient Israelite women鈥檚 religious lives and experiences. She examines the various sites of their practice, including household shrines, regional sanctuaries, and national temples; the calendar of religious rituals that women observed on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis; and their special roles in religious settings. Drawing on texts, archaeology, and material culture, and documenting the distinctions between Israelite women鈥檚 experiences and those of their male counterparts, Prof. Ackerman reconstructs an essential picture of women鈥檚 lived religion in ancient Israelite culture. This event was sponsored by the 艾可直播 College Theology Department and co-sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.听
November 7, 2023
Prof. Michael S. Bryant spoke in Prof. John Michalczyk鈥檚 seminar 鈥淗olocaust and the Arts.鈥 Prof. Bryant鈥檚 lecture was a commemoration of the 85th anniversary Kristallnacht and reinforced the seminar鈥檚 ideas on how the Arts attempts to express the inexpressible tragedy of the Holocaust and help us in a human way to understand the historical and personal events of the Holocaust. This event was co-sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program and the Film Studies Program.
November 1, 2023
In her talk, Magda Teter, the author of听Christian Supremacy: Reckoning with the Roots of Antisemitism and Racism,听explained the deep roots of that connection and explored the interplay between Christian theology and law to demonstrate how legal and theological frameworks deployed centuries ago in regards to Jews have created social hierarchies that ultimately, in modern times, contributed to the legal exclusion of and a denial of equality to Jews and Black people.
November 1, 2023
Owen Fletcher (BC '25) and Prof. Mark Massa, S.J. discuss Owen鈥檚 year-long research project 鈥淟oving the Stranger: Christian and Jewish Responses to Migration in the United States鈥 (sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning鈥檚 Student Internship Program). Prof. Massa served as the project advisor.
October 25, 2023
This luncheon talk highlighted two passionate voices in 艾可直播 directly involved with migration work: Debbie Gotbetter, a board member of Jewish Family Services of MetroWest, and Ed Marakovitz, the coordinator of the Paulist Center's Immigration Advocacy Group. They drew from their experience supporting immigrants and refugees through their organizations to speak on the topic of migration work in the 艾可直播 area, especially within a faith-based context. Moderated by Owen Fletcher, BC '25 and Center for Christian-Jewish Learning Student Intern, this conversation helped contextualize the care and advocacy for immigrants and refugees in the greater 艾可直播 area, asking the question "what makes the 艾可直播 case specific?"
October 17, 2023
Dr. David Novak delivered the听Center for Christian-Jewish Learning's 11th Annual John Paul II Lecture in Christian-Jewish Relations:听"Humans as the Image of God: The Bible and John Paul II."听This lecture drew upon some of the profound insights of the late Pope John Paul II regarding human nature as biblically conceived.
Statement on the Events of October 7, 2023
The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning has issued a statement on the events of听October 7, 2023.
September 26, 2023
Rev. Dr. Gardiner H. Shattuck spoke on his latest book Christian Homeland: Episcopalians and the Middle East, 1820-1958. His volume focuses on the involvement of clergy and prominent laity of the Episcopal Church in Middle Eastern affairs, both religious and political, between the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) and the Second Arab-Israeli War (1956-1957), with a brief epilogue covering additional events up to the present day. This event is hosted by the Boisi Center for Religion & American Public Life at 艾可直播 College and co-sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.听
September 13, 2023
One feature of medieval Jewish thought, in contrast with rabbinic thought, is the recognition of meaningful distinctions among non-Jewish religious groups, which ones were "closer to" and "further from" Jewish doctrine and practice. This talk addressed the emergence of this mode of thought as well as some of the formulations of specific thinkers such as Judah Halevi and Maimonides. In the process, the talk considered how the grounds of comparison themselves were shifting within this intellectual practice.
September 11, 2023
Profs. Susannah Heschel,听Brian Robinette, and Joanna Kline considered what it means to enter into viewing Sabbath keeping as a gift and as a commandment from God for humans听to nurture. In addition, they asked what it means for this to be a practice shared, yet shaped differently, by Jews and Christians.听
June 18-21, 2023
The annual conference of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) entitled "Negotiating Multiple Identities: Implications for Interreligious Relations" took place in 艾可直播 June 18 to 21, 2023, co-hosted by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.听
April 18, 2023
In commemoration of Yom HaShoah / Holocaust Remembrance Day
In her latest book, acclaimed author Dara Horn explores a pointed question: Why do far too many people seem to love dead Jews, but ignore the living ones? In 2022, the Holocaust continues to make headlines, fill our films and fiction, and generate extraordinary interest far beyond our community. Yet ignorance and indifference towards Jew-hatred today seems to be higher than ever. What鈥檚 going on?
This event was co-sponsored by the Boisi Center for Religion & American Public Life and the Jewish Studies Program at 艾可直播 College. The reception was sponsored by 艾可直播 College Hillel / Hillel Council of New England.
March 20, 2023
Rebecca Carter-Chand, 鈥淭he German Churches, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust"
As part of the Center鈥檚 Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Dr. Rebecca Carter-Chand presented her lecture 鈥淭he German Churches, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust鈥 in Prof. Charles R. Gallagher鈥檚 course 鈥淎tlantic Worlds II: Race, Religion, and the Struggle for Democracy.鈥澨鼶r. Carter-Chand is Director of Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
March 28, 2023
Fr. Kevin P. Spicer examined the role antisemitism played in the responses of Catholic leaders to National Socialism in the period immediately before Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. This event was co-sponsored by the 艾可直播 College Jewish Studies Program and Film Studies Program.
March 19-20, 2023
Ever since Christianity sought to define itself as distinctly different from Judaism, the paths of Judaism and Christianity have diverged. Yet what they retained in common was a large body of Scriptures, the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament for Christians. This conference explored what the French scholar Gilbert Dahan has called 鈥渢he encounter over Scripture,鈥 the exploration of the听shared听textual heritage by Jewish and Christian scholars in the Western Middle Ages (c. 500-1500 CE), which opened the door to interactions between Christians and Jews, ranging from learned discourse to hostile confrontation.
Conference Program
March 14, 2023
艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan Decter to the 2023-2024 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.
February 28, 2023
In her talk, Dr. Michal Bar-Asher Siegal presented the argument that Talmudic literary traditions must be examined as part of the Late Antique boundary-creating discourse between the rabbinic authors and contemporaneous Christians. It adds to our surprising and growing understanding of the rabbinic authors' familiarity with Christian traditions, and to the ways in which we can access the complex relations between the two religious communities.
January 26, 2023
Rabbi Sergio Bergman, Argentinian-born politician, social activist, community leader, and President of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), spoke on his relationship with Bergoglio, Jewish and Catholic values and their role in Argentine civil society, and global lessons from these personal and community interfaith relationships.听This event was presented by the听Center for Ignatian Spirituality and co-sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.
January 11, 2023
In the wake of the Holocaust, a religious phenomenon arose in Israel fueled by Holocaust survivors who had converted to Catholicism as well as by Catholics determined to address the anti-Judaism inherent in their religious tradition. Prof. Emma Polyakov examined this 鈥淛udeocentric Catholicism鈥 as a case study in Catholic perceptions of Jews, Judaism, and the state of Israel.
December 20, 2022
Owen Fletcher, CCJL Student Internship Recipient
The Center awarded a CCJL Student Internship to Owen Fletcher (Class of 2025, International Studies major) to support his year-long research project "Loving the Stranger: Christian and Jewish Responses to Migration in the United States." Through his research, which will be directed by Prof. Mark Massa, S.J., Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Owen will seek to understand better the responses to global migration by people of differing faith traditions and to provide an opportunity for members of the 艾可直播 College community to be part of the conversation. His project will explore the fundamental similarities and differences of how the identity of Jewish and Christian aid organizations influences their respective approaches to the realities of migration.
December 14, 2022
CCJR Statement "A National Reckoning of the Soul: A Call to the Churches of the United States to Confront the Crisis of Antisemitism"
The Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR) issued a public statement calling U.S. churches to confront the crisis of antisemitism. 鈥淲e implore all churches to redouble their efforts to denounce antisemitism publicly as antithetical to the very essence of Christianity itself,鈥 the statement declares.
November 14, 2022
Holocaust Education Honor Awarded to Fr. James Bernauer, S.J.
Fr. James Bernuaer, S.J., Kraft Family Professor Emeritus and former director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at 艾可直播 College, was honored by the Holocaust Educational Foundation of Northwestern University in recognition of his retirement from years of teaching a Holocaust course. The citation states, 鈥淚n recognition of your Distinguished Contribution to Holocaust Education. With Deep Appreciation from
Lessons & Legacies and the Holocaust Education Foundation.鈥
November 2, 2022听
Prof. Kendall Soulen delivered the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning's 10th Annual John Paul II Lecture in Christian-Jewish Relations: "Why Did God Choose the Jews? A Christian Reflection in Conversation with Jewish Thought."听This lecture unpacked what the question means, what makes it so difficult for Christians to answer in a satisfactory way, and what a satisfactory Christian answer might be that is informed by Jewish thought.
October 26, 2022
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel were good friends whose work influenced people around the world to seek peace and justice. Their children,听Susannah Heschel听and听Elisha Wiesel, spoke about the legacies of their fathers. This event was presented by the听Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life and co-sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning.
October 25, 2022
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. Susannah Heschel delivered a lecture titled "Faith and Politics in a Complex Time: Christian-Jewish Relations in the Third Reich." This event was co-sponsored by the 艾可直播 College Jewish Studies Program and Film Studies Program.
October 18, 2022
Mark Ludwig, Executive Director of the Terezin Music Foundation, is violist emeritus of the 艾可直播 Symphony Orchestra and a leading scholar, teacher, and promoter of Holocaust Music. He spoke on his book Our Will to Live about music and the Holocaust at the Terezin Ghetto. This event was sponsored by the 艾可直播 College Institute for the Liberal Arts and co-sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program, Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, and Film Studies Program.
September 28, 2022
This event coincided with the opening of a major exhibition at the McMullen Museum of Art,听Alternative American Comics, 1980鈥2000: 鈥淩aw,鈥 鈥淲eirdo,鈥 and Beyond, featuring the work of Fran莽oise Mouly, art editor of听The New Yorker听since 1993, and Art Spiegelman, recipient of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for his masterful Holocaust narrative听Maus.
This event was co-sponsored by the 艾可直播 College McMullen Museum of Art; Center for Christian-Jewish听Learning; Center for Human Rights and International Justice; Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy; American Studies Program; Literature Core Program; English Department; History Department; and Art, Art History, and Film Department.
September 20, 2022
Frans van Liere, "Scriptural Reasoning, Medieval Style: Interfaith Dialogue in Twelfth-Century Paris"
When we think of Jewish-Christian encounters in the High Middle Ages, disputation and polemic are often the first things that comes to mind. However, the abbey of Saint Victor, in the mid-twelfth century, also witnessed a different kind of interaction between Christians and Jews: an encounter centered not on what divided but on what united them. Prof. Frans van Liere spoke on how the discovery of a shared scriptural heritage could lead to mutual learning, although it was not always without challenges.听
July 18-20, 2022
Remembering the Holocaust: Voices of Survivors
艾可直播 College, in collaboration with the International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem, hosted a three-day virtual seminar on remembering the experiences of women and children during the Holocaust. Each day consisted of a lecture followed by small group conversation for further reflection.听
July 18 - Understanding Memory Construction
Sharon Kangisser Cohen, 鈥淓arly and Later Holocaust Survivor Testimony鈥
July 19 - Women鈥檚 Voices during the Holocaust听
Naama Shik, 鈥淛ewish Women in Auschwitz-Birkenau鈥
July 20 - The Voices of Hidden Children
Carmen M. Mangion, 鈥淚nside the French Convent: Female Religious Life before the Second World War鈥
Eliot Nidam-Orvieto, 鈥淟etters to and from Parents of Children Hidden in Convents and Catholic Institutions in France during the Holocaust: What Do They Tell Us?鈥
June 16, 2022
Barbara U. Meyer, The Suffering Jewish Jesus and Christian Memory
How does remembering Jesus鈥 Jewishness affect Christian approaches to suffering? For centuries, Christians have found comfort in associating their own suffering with that of Jesus. But what happens when Christians remember Jesus as a Jew who suffered? Prof. Barbara Meyer explored this question in dialogue with Jewish and Christian voices critical of the notion of redemptive suffering.
April 29, 2022
Amy-Jill Levine, "The New Testament and Anti-Judaism"
As part of the Center's听Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine spoke in Prof. Dieter Roth鈥檚 course on the Historical Jesus, discussing her chapter 鈥淭he New Testament and Anti-Judaism鈥 from her book听The Misunderstood Jew. Dr. Levine examined how issues dealing with the historical Jesus relate to the New Testament and anti-Judaism and how course topics (including the question of sources, critical methodologies, and various portraits of the historical Jesus) can both aid in a critical reading of the New Testament and be constructive for Jewish-Christian dialogue.听
April 27, 2022
A Yom HaShoah Commemoration
This collaborative program by BC Jewish Studies included a talk by historian Prof. Michael S. Bryant (Bryant University) "Confronting Mein Kampf: Thoughts on the Republication of Hitler's Evil Manifesto" and a film screening by BC professors John J. and Susan A. Michalczyk.
April 25, 2022
James Carroll, "Constantine's Sword: Twenty Years Later 鈥 A Retrospective"
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, James Carroll recently spoke about his book Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews (2021) -- the impact of the book, what has been achieved, and what still remains to be done.
Spring 2022 (March 23, April 13, April 27)
Theology as Requirement: The Challenges of Teaching Theology in the Modern Academy
This seminar series, co-sponsored with the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, brought together theology 艾可直播and graduate students to discuss some challenges and opportunities associated with teaching theology in the modern academy鈥攐ne characterized by pluralism, the rise of the 鈥渘ones,鈥 and even some hostility against the discipline. These discussions, each co-led by a 艾可直播member and graduate student, engaged three moves innate to the theological classroom: introducing theology to those with a different or no experience of religion; complicating the discipline of theology for students who do have some religious background, but one that might be more catechetical in nature; and empowering students to engage the theological discipline themselves through their own theological reflection or the use of theological skills in other aspects of their lives.
Introducing Theology
Dr. Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones and Nathan D. Wood-House
Complicating Theology
Dr. Jeffrey L. Cooley and Domenik Ackermann
Practicing Theology
Dr. Meghan Sweeney and Katie Mylroie听听
Spring 2022 Three-Part Talk Series by Jesper Svartvik
Reading the New Testament Anew: Insights from Jewish-Christian
Dialogue
Jesus the Jew and his Christian Followers (Feb. 15, 2022)
Paul of Tarsus among Jews and Gentiles (March 15, 2022)
The Epistle to the Hebrews鈥攐r against Them? (April 19, 2022)听
March 27 and April 3, 2022
2022 Corcoran Chair Conference "Treasures New and Old"
The Center hosted the 2022 Hybrid Corcoran Chair Conference "Treasures New and Old."
March 17, 2022
Frances Flannery, "Jesus the Jewish Divine Physician: Understanding Healing in听Early Christianity in its Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts"
Prof. Flannery delivered this lecture as part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series.
March 2022
Presenting the Passion 鈥 without blaming 鈥渢he Jews鈥
In collaboration with the Council of Centers on听Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR) and the International Council of Christians听and Jews (ICCJ), the Christian Scholars Group on Christian-Jewish Relations released a series of short videos on various aspects of the Gospel passion听narratives for use by preachers, teachers, and the general public.
Judas and Betrayal (鈥淒o you betray me with a kiss?鈥)
Ruth Langer and Jesper Svartvik听
February 8, 2022
The Center hosted a workshop for student Dennis Wieboldt '22 for his upcoming paper presentation "Comparative Theology, United States History: How American Catholic Leaders Build Interreligious Networks" at the National Undergraduate Theology Research Conference at Creighton University (April 2022). Dennis is an alum of the Center's Student Internship Program (2020-21 academic year).
January 27, 2022
Charles R. Gallagher, S.J., "Nazis of Copley Square: The Forgotten Story of the Christian Front"
In commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Prof. Charles R. Gallagher, S.J. spoke about his book Nazis of Copley Square: The Forgotten Story of the Christian Front." This event was co-sponsored by the 艾可直播 College Jesuit Community, History Department, and Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life.听
January 8, 2022
Jesper Svartvik, "Contemporary Jewish-Christian Relations: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities?"
Corcoran Chair Dr. Jesper Svartvik delivered this lecture for the National Library of Israel.
November 9, 2021
Mark Oppenheimer, "Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood"
In remembrance of Kristallnacht, former Corcoran Chair Mark Oppenheimer spoke about his latest publication "Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood."听This event was co-sponsored by the 艾可直播 College Office of Campus Ministry, Jewish Studies Program, and Hillel.
Fall 2021 (September 23, October 14, November 18)
Teaching First-Generation 艾可直播 College Students
This seminar series for 艾可直播 College 艾可直播explored the contextual realities, resources, and pedagogical considerations related to the college experience of first-generation 艾可直播 College students. This program was co-sponsored by the听Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life.
Teaching First-Generation 艾可直播 College Students
Rossanna Contreras-Godfrey,听Yvonne McBarnett, Andy Petigny
The Socio-Economic Factors Shaping the First-Generation and Montserrat Experience
Burt Howell
How to Support First-Generation BC Students
Dacia Gentilella
October 21, 2021
Angela Kim Harkins, "Ancient Interpretations of Job"
In this lecture, Prof. Angela Kim Harkins explored how ancient readers sought to better understand Job and the people who knew him best through various interpretations that link the figure of Job to the book of Genesis. This event was co-sponsored by the School of Theology and Ministry.
October 17, 2021
The Holocaust-Era Archives of Pope Pius XII: The State of the Question
Suzanne Brown-Fleming, David, Kertzer, Robert Ventresca, Iael Nidam-Orvieto
This webinar听featured a discussion among leading scholars working with the recently opened Holocaust-era archives of Pope Pius XII about their work, their initial findings, and the significance of archival scholarship for Jewish-Christian relations.听
October 12, 2021
Paula Fredriksen, "MESSY MONOTHEISM: The Crowded Cosmos of Ancient Jews and Christians"
Prof. Paula Fredriksen delivered the Center's 9th Annual John Paul II Lecture.
听 听
October 12, 2021
As part of the Center's Jewish-Christian Lecture Series, Prof. Paula Fredriksen spoke in Prof. David Hunter鈥檚 seminar "Reading Romans in the Early Church" on how both Origen and Augustine viewed Paul's observations on the relations between Jews and Gentiles.听
October 6, 2021
Jesper Svartvik, "Good Friday or Bad Friday?"听
In this virtual talk, Dr. Jesper Svartvik presented his latest book听Reconciliation and Transformation: Reconsidering Christian Theologies of the Cross听(Wipf & Stock, 2021) and discussed good and bad Good Friday theologies.听
July 2021
Student Dennis Wieboldt '22 recently completed his year-long research project "The Natural Law Foundation of Interreligious Social Advocacy: A Civil Rights Movement Case Study" with support from the Center's听Student Internship Program.听
June 2021
The Center congratulates James Bernauer, S.J., former director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning and Kraft Family Professor Emeritus at 艾可直播 College, on receiving the 2021 Catholic Media Association Second Place Book Award in Ecumenism or Interfaith Relations for his book听.听
April 2021
艾可直播 College and the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are pleased to announce the reappointment of听Dr. Jesper Svartvik听to the 2021-2022 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations.听
Staff
The activities of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning are guided by the Rev. Dr. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, Kraft Family Professor and Center Director; Rabbi Dr. Ruth Langer, Professor of Jewish Studies and Center Associate Director; and Dr. Camille Fitzpatrick Markey, Center Associate Director.
Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski
Center Director
Kraft Family Professor
Theology Department
Email: d.joslyn-siemiatkoski@bc.edu听
Phone:听617-552-6027
Office: Stokes Hall N407
Ruth Langer
Center Associate Director
Professor of Jewish Studies
Theology Department
Email:听ruth.langer@bc.edu听
Phone: 617-552-8492
Office: Stokes Hall N411
Camille Fitzpatrick Markey
Center Associate Director
Email:听camille.markey@bc.edu
Phone: 617-552-4495
Office: Stokes Hall N405