CCJU Considerations: Periodic Newsletters
| March 2010 |
| Contents: 10th Annual Institute for Seminarians and Rabbinical Students; Scholars Rabbi Joseph Telvshkin and Susannah Heschel, Ph.D., speak at the CCJU Colleagues in Dialogue Program, May 2-4, 2009; Sacred Heart University senior, Michael Fazzinoselected to attend ADL educational trip to Israel from June 9-17, 2009; Sacred Heart University junior, Sam Dowd, participates in a six-week internship in Paris exploring Eastern Europe’s Holocaust, known as the “Holocaust by Bullets;” Workshop aiding teachers in Holocaust Education “Echoes and Reflections.” |
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| Spring/Summer 2009 |
| Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks at Sacred Heart University offers the Center's 15-year anniversary lecture, "The Dignity of Difference"; Fourth Annual Colleagues in Dialogue Institute met on May 5-7, 2008, at Union Theological Seminary in New York City; Ninth annual Institute for Seminarians and Rabbinical Students convened in Fairfield, Connecticut, May 27-29, 2008. |
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| March 2008 |
| The Center welcomed Dr. Judea Pearl on Monday, February 4, 2008, for two lectures to students and faculty and the general public. Dr. Pearl is the father of Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl, who was executed by Islamic extremists while on assignment in Pakistan in 2002. |
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| January 2008 |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding welcomed more than a dozen of the nation's foremost Holocaust educators to lead a teacher education program for Sacred Heart University students and faculty on January 20-21, 2008. The Holocaust Education Consortium of the American Friends of the Ghetto Fighters Museum represents Catholic, Protestant and Jewish educators in parochial, private and public schools in the United States and Israel. "These leading practitioners have completed formal Holocaust studies at Yad Vashem, the Ghetto Fighters' Museum in Israel, and the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, and represent the best practices in the field," said Dr. Karen Shawn, director of the Holocaust Education Consortium. The program was cosponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Isabelle Farrington School of Education of Sacred Heart University. |
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| Winter 2007 |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University held its 12th Annual Nostra Aetate Awards Dinner on November 29, 2007. The dinner celebrated the presentation of the Nostra Aetate Award to Pope Benedict XVI on September 5th in Rome for his leadership in promoting understanding between Catholics and Jews. CCJU also honored Federal Communications Commissioners Michael J. Copps and Jonathan S. Adelstein with a new award, the Tikkun Olam Award, for their work to place the media and its many benefits at the service of the common good. The event was hosted by Sacred Heart University president, Dr. Anthony Cernera, CCJU executive director, Rabbi Eugene Korn and CCJU chairman of the board, Mr. Vincent Roberti at the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York. |
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| Fall 2007 |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University led a special delegation of U.S. bishops and rabbis on a study tour to Poland and Rome, September 2-7, 2007. Five American bishops and two Orthodox rabbis were the guests of Rabbi Eugene Korn, executive director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) and Dr. Anthony J. Cernera, president of Sacred Heart University. The purpose of the tour was to learn from each other the theological, historical, and spiritual connections between Jews and Christians and to build bridges of understanding, thus paving the way of hope for generations to come. CCJU inaugurated the study tour in 2005 to continue the dialogue between Catholics and Jews that formally began with the Second Vatican Council’s historic proclamation, Nostra Aetate (1965). The 2007 tour culminated in the presentation of CCJU’s annual Nostra Aetate Award to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. |
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| Summer 2007 |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University held its annual Seminarians and Rabbinical Students Conference on May 29 – 31, 2007 at the university campus in Fairfield, CT. Now in its eighth year, the 2007 conference welcomed 32 seminarians from across the country representing the Jewish and Christian faiths. The conference is a flagship program of the Center’s Institute for Religious Leaders whose mission is to provide for a deeper historical and theological understanding of the other that can positively shape the future ministries of ordained clergy in their teaching, preaching and relations with each other. Past participants – some of them newly ordained clergy – are invited back each year to continue their study and dialogue for improving Christian-Jewish relations through the Center’s annual Colleagues in Dialogue program. |
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| May 2007 |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University sponsored its third annual Colleagues in Dialogue Conference on April 17 – 19, held at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Colleagues in Dialogue is a flagship program that has grown out of the Center’s Institute for Rabbinical Students and Seminarians, whose mission is to foster deeper theological understanding, dialogue and collaboration among future Jewish and Christian religious leaders. The 2007 Colleagues in Dialogue Conference welcomed 31 rabbis, cantors, priests and ministers across the country. The featured speaker for the event was Mary C. Boys, Ph.D., author, scholar, educator and the Skinner and McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology at Union Theological Seminary, since 1994. The conference also included a Jewish scripture study of the Book of Ruth led by Rabbi Eugene Korn, Ph.D., associate executive director of the Center. |
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| April 2007 |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University opened its spring lunch and lecture series with the March 27 presentation from Rabbi Avi S. Olitzky, Coming Together Through Jonah: One Book, Two Traditions and Multiple Interpretations. A fourth-year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) in New York City, Rabbi Olitzky recently returned from a one-year study program at Machon Schechter in Jerusalem. He is a former student at the CCJU Institute for Seminarians and Rabbinical Students, which introduces Jewish and Christian seminarians to the history, theology and practical application of interreligious learning and dialogue. |
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| March 2007 |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding’s (CCJU) winter lecture series at Sacred Heart University continued with the February 13 presentation from Rabbi Yvonne Youngberg, Holy Havoc: The Customs and Liturgy of the Jewish Festival of Purim. A graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York, Rabbi Youngberg was ordained in 2006 and presently serves as the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Sholom in Stratford, CT. |
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| February 2007 |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University recognized outstanding international leadership in the work of interreligious dialogue and peacemaking at its annual Nostra Aetate Awards Ceremony. The award recipients for 2006 were His Excellency, Archbishop Pietro Sambi and Commendatore Gary Krupp. The event took place on December 6, 2006, at the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City. |
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| January 2007 |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, launched a multiyear interreligious study project, “Wrestling with Problem Passages” on December 4-5, 2006. Thirty-one scholars and religious leaders examined how problematic passages from within their own traditions are understood and probed for deeper meaning and possibilities for dialogue. |
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| November 2006: CCJU Conference on Bioethics |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) sponsored a conference, “In God’s Image: Bio-Ethics and Human Dignity,” in collaboration with Sacred Heart University’s College of Education and Health Professions and the Center for Catholic Thought, Ethics, and Culture (CCTEC). The conference featured scholars and religious leaders in the Catholic, Jewish and Protestant Christian traditions to address how their respective religious meaning of life reveals a bio-ethical framework for discourse and discernment. |
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| Summer 2006: CCJU Delegation Meets Pope Benedict at Auschwitz |
| A delegation from the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University joined Pope Benedict XVI for his visit to Auschwitz, Poland on Sunday, May 28, 2006. |
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| June 2006: The CCJU Celebrates the Life and Work of Sister Rose Thering, O.P., Ph.D. |
| Sister Rose Thering, a Roman Catholic Dominican sister who dedicated her life to fostering Christian-Jewish dialogue and helped to change some teaching practices of the Catholic Church, died early Saturday morning, May 6, 2006, in her native Wisconsin. She was 85. |
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| May 2006: Second Annual Colleagues In Dialogue Conference |
| On May 1-2, 2006, more than 30 clergy from past CCJU Institutes gathered at Union Theological Seminary in New York City for the second annual Colleagues in Dialogue Conference and meeting. |
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| April 2006: Columbus Citizens Foundation Sponsors Lectures |
| On March 9, 2006, Rabbi Joseph H. Ehrenkranz presented, “Building Bridges with Bishops: From Auschwitz to the Vatican,” for the Columbus Citizens Foundation in NYC. |
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| January 2006 |
| CCJU sponsored two public lectures by noted scholar, Dr. Ron Miller, scholar, author, professor of comparative religions, and chair of the Religion Department at Lake Forest College, Illinois. |
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| December 2005 |
| More than 120 people came to the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City on November 17, 2005, for the CCJU annual Nostra Aetate Dinner to celebrate the efforts of two extraordinary people—Sister Rose Thering, O.P., and Mr. Barry Sternlicht. |
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| November 2005 |
| CCJU Co-sponsors Conference at Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, that brought together more than 350 people from 20 countries, September 23-28, 2005. |
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| October 2005 |
| Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding Hosts First Bishops’ Study Tour to Auschwitz and Rome, September 19-23, 2005. |
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| Summer 2005 |
| Rabbi Joseph H. Ehrenkranz met with Pope Benedict XVI on May 25, 2005; CCJU Lecture in memory of Hal Lustig welcomes Rabbi Charles Arian of the Institute for Christian-Jewish Studies in Baltimore and Reverend Blair Moffett of the First Presbyterian Church in Stamford, Connecticut, in a discussion of the land of Israel, its history and theological meanings, and the ethical questions surrounding its future on May 3, 2005. |
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| May 2005 |
| First Colleagues in Dialogue Program is enthusiastically received by participants who met at Union Theological Seminary in New York City; CCJU Statement of hope for continued dialogue at the election of Pope Benedict XVI to the papacy on April 19, 2005. |
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| April 2005: CCJU Gratefully Remembers Pope John Paul II |
| Upon the April 2, 2005 passing of Pope John Paul II, a pioneer in interreligious understanding and a great friend to the Jewish people, the CCJU published this testimony to his inspiring life and untiring work. |
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| March 2005: CCJU Scholar-in-Residence Program |
| Dr. Jennifer Harris, Professor of Christianity and Culture at the University at the University of Toronto, gives four on-campus lectures on the uses of Jewish images and concepts in medieval Christianity. |
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| February 2005: 160 Jewish Leaders Meet with Pope John Paul II |
| Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz joins delegation for historic meeting at the Vatican. Also featured: upcoming CCJU programs Colleagues in Dialogue; 2004-05 Scholar-in-Residence. |
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| January 2005: Papal Message for Peace in the New Year |
| First World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace, and a preview of the upcoming 40th Anniversary of Nostra Aetate |
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| December 2004: Nostra Aetate Awards Dinner and Ceremony |
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| November 2004: The Galilee of the Future: Jewish, Christian, Muslim |
| Three scholars from the Galilee region of Israel, one representing each Abrahamic faith, discuss pathways to religious peace in Galilee, in Israel, and between differing groups everywhere. |
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| October 2004: St. Egidio Meeting in Milan; I. B. Singer Lectures |
| Hundreds of religious leaders, including CCJU executive director Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz, meet in Italy to explore new religious possibilities for humanism and peaceful coexistence. Also; CCJU hosts lectures on the life and works of Nobel Laureate author Isaac Bashevis Singer. |
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| September 2004: Rabbi Ehrenkranz on Soloveitchik's Confrontation |
| Responding to a conference about Jewish law, Christian-Jewish dialogue, and the great Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik's writings, Rabbi Ehrenkranz explores the dangers and possibilities in recent advances. |
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| August 2004: Relations with Israel; Vatican-UN Ambassador at CCJU |
| As national Presbyterian group deliberates on divestment from Israel, and Vatican-Israeli diplomatic relations ebb and flow, Archbishop Celestino Migliore speaks at CCJU on religious and diplomatic issues. |
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| July 2004: Seminarians' Institute; Rome Synagogue Centenary |
| Annual CCJU Institute for Seminarians and Rabbinical Students brings future religious leaders together for study, dialogue and prayer. Vatican sends delegation to centennial celebrations at the Synagogue of Rome. |
Books
| CCJU Perspective, Fall 2006, 17 pages |
| A delegation from the Center for Christian- Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, led by Rabbi Joseph H. Ehrenkranz, executive director of the Center and President Anthony J. Cernera joined Pope Benedict XVI for his visit to Poland on Sunday, May 28, 2006. Invited by Cardinal Stanislaus Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow, the only group of Americans included Louella Lieberman, Gregory Milbank and Margot Gibis, who met and shook hands with the pope at a small gathering at the Centre for Information, Meetings, Dialogue, Education and Prayer. Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, also met with the group. |
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| CCJU Perspective, December 2005, 40 pages |
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| CCJU Perspective, December 2004, 40 pages |
| Contents: Rome Synagogue Celebrates Centenary; Vatican Delegates Visit; Jewish-Catholic Meeting in Jerusalem; Presbyterian Church Resolves Selective Divestment from Israel; University for All Faiths Opens in Israel; Imam in Rome Ousted for Inciting Hate; CCJU Board Member Edward Piszek Dies; Rabbis and Cardinals Meet in New York; Vatican Ambassador to UN Archbishop Migliore Speaks at CCJU; Fifth Annual CCJU Institute for Seminarians and Rabbinical Students; 2003 Annual Nostra Aetate Awards Dinner; Gibson's Passion Ignites Debates, Dialogue at CCJU; First Annual CCJU Scholar-in-Residence: Dr. Wolfgang Kraus; Official Statement of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA); Jewish-Catholic Group Issues Statement of Solidarity; Canadian Council of Churches Denounces Anti-Semitism; May 2004 Communiqué: Catholic-Jewish Consultation Committee; Book Reviews. |
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| CCJU Perspective, Fall 2003, 48 pages |
| Contents: CCJU Celebrates 10 Years: Honors Ambassador James Nicholson; Russell Berrie, Former CCJU Board Member, Dies; Vatican Appointments for Interreligious Dialogue; Rome's Chief Rabbi and Pope Meet; Reflections on Covenant and Mission; Passing of Interfaith Pioneer, Rabbi Mordecai Waxman; Vatican Archives Reveal Letter from Edith Stein; Passing of Hal Lustig, CCJU Board Member; Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations; CCJU Summer Intern, (name); Fourth Annual CCJU Institute for Seminarians and Rabbinical Students; CCJU Conference, Fairfield, Connecticut March 31-April 2, 2003,“What Do We Want the Other to Teach About Our Ethical Traditions?”; CCJU Conference, Fairfield, Connecticut, April 28-30, 2003, “Pathways to Peace in the Abrahamic Faiths”; An American Baptist Response to “Dabru Emet “[Speak the Truth]; Statement of Iraqi Patriarchs and Bishops April 30, 2003; A Sacred Obligation: Rethinking Christian Faith in Relation to Judaism and the Jewish People; Cardinal Kasper Lectures at Sacred Heart University; Book Reviews |
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| CCJU Perspective, Summer 2002, 56 pages |
| Rabbi Joseph H. Ehrenkranz, executive director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University, was among the 250 religious leaders invited by Pope John Paul II to participate in a Day of Prayer for Peace in the World at Assisi on January 24, 2002.
Invited participants included representatives from 17 Orthodox Christian churches, 14 Anglican and Protestant communities, 30 Islamic leaders, 10 rabbis, as well as representatives from Buddhism, Tenrikyo, Shintoism, Jainism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Confucianism and traditional African religions. |
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| CCJU Perspective, Winter 2001, 40 Pages |
| Over 900 people came to the ornate Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City to support a Roman Catholic archbishop and a Jewish spiritual leader honored for their lifelong commitments to religious dialogue and understanding. The fifth annual Nostra Aetate Awards Ceremony and lecture drew additional attention from the national media this year because the featured speaker was Connecticut’s Senator Joseph I. Lieberman,
whose quest to be the nation’s next Vice President–and first Jew to hold that office–was still in question on the night of the ceremony, Tuesday, December 5th. The free public lecture and subsequent fundraising benefit dinner was sponsored by the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University. |
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| CCJU Perspective, Fall 2001, 44 pages |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University sponsored its second annual Institute for Seminarians and Rabbinical Students on June 4-6, 2001. The event took place on the University’s Fairfield campus and gathered 20 future religious leaders from the
Jewish and Christian faiths to study and discuss the advances made in Christian-Jewish dialogue over the last 35 years, and to explore possibilities for future progress. |
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| CCJU Perspective, Spring 2000, 36 pages |
| On Saturday,March 25, 2000, a group from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, led by President Anthony J. Cernera and Rabbi Joseph H. Ehrenkranz, executive director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart joined Pope John Paul II for
his visit to the church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. |
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| CCJU Perspective, Winter 1999, 33 pages |
| Religious leaders and scholars from 12 countries gathered May 18-20, 1998 at Auschwitz,Poland to discuss the role that religion plays in cultivating peace or promoting violence. Representing three faiths, from left,W.Deen Mohammed, leader of the Muslim-American Society; Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore and Rabbi David Rosen, executive director of the Anti-Defamation League of Israel. See Auschwitz Conference Executive Summary beginning on page 7. |
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| CCJU Perspective, Fall 1999, 28 pages |
| The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, honored two outstanding individuals for their commitment to dialogue, understanding and reconciliation between Jews and Christians on November 17, 1999,with the prestigious Nostra Aetate Award. Edward Idris Cardinal Cassidy, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and of the Commission for religious Relations with the Jews, and Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg, president of Jewish Life Network, a Judy and Michael Steinhardt Foundation, New York City, were honored at the Park Avenue Synagogue, 50 East 87th Street, New York City. |
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| CCJU Perspective, Spring 1999, 20 pages |
| On October 20, 1998, the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding honored His Eminence Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger and Chief Rabbi Rene-Samuel Sirat with the prestigious Nostra Aetate Award,named after the Second Vatican Council’s groundbreaking document on the Catholic Church and its relations with Jews and other non-Christians. Presenting the awards were Dr. Samuel Pisar and His Eminence John Cardinal O’Connor. The event took place at the Sutton Place Synagogue, New York City, and was emceed by Mitchell Krauss, former CBS news correspondent. |
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