Washington D.C., Dec 1, 2009 / 05:41 am
The fall dialogue between the U.S. bishops and the National Council of Synagogues (NCS) of America Catholic and Jewish leaders took place in early November. Participants discussed their different views of witnessing, recent controversy over a bishops’ statement, and the situation of Christians in the Holy Land.
The meeting between representatives from the NCS and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) took place at Jewish Theological Seminary on Nov. 11 in Manhattan.
Two speakers discussed the theme “dialogue and witness in the perspective of our faith traditions.”
Rabbi Alan Brill of Seton Hall University said that witness is a less significant category in Jewish theology, a USCCB press release says. For Jews, witnessing means a public proclamation about a special event or a fundamental teaching of Judaism, such as the Sabbath, which is “a witness to God’s creation.”