|
Dear Friends of the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies:
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council's historic declaration on the Church's relationship with other religions. The declaration positively reframed Catholic-Jewish relations, rejected the deicide charge, condemned antisemitism, and called for dialogue and study with our Jewish neighbors. The anniversary of the declaration is an opportunity to reflect on the task of building mutual understanding between our traditions. I share a few reasons why the declaration remains relevant in a below reflection entitled "Nostra Aetate In Our Time of Turmoil."
This fall, the CCJS is happy to welcome Dr. Benny Bar-Lavi, the newly appointed Cohn Visiting Chair in Jewish Thought and Assistant Director of the CCJS. You can read more about Dr. Bar-Lavi below, including his impressive teaching and research background. We are honored to have Dr. Bar-Lavi with us.
Below, you can also find information about our upcoming programs, including a new CCJS series, "Israel-Palestine in the Context of Catholic-Jewish Dialogue."
On November 9, the CCJS invites you to join us at the Eternal Light Award Dinner event, Reflecting on the Future of Catholic-Jewish Relations on the Anniversary of Kristallnacht. The event will take place on the anniversary of Kristallnacht (German for “Night of Broken Glass”), which refers to the shattered glass that littered the streets after the Nazi destruction of Jewish property and mass arrests of Jews on November 9-10, 1938.
The keynote speaker is the 21st recipient of the CCJS Eternal Light Award, Dr. Adele Reinhartz, Distinguished University Professor at the University of Ottawa, where she also is a professor in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies. We hope you can join us.
Respectfully,
| | |
Matthew Tapie
Director, Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies
and Associate Professor of Theology
| | |
Dr. Benny Bar-Lavi Appointed as Maureen and Douglas Cohn Visiting Chair in Jewish Thought
| | |
The CCJS is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Benny Bar-Lavi as the Maureen and Douglas Cohn Visiting Chair in Jewish Thought and Assistant Director of CCJS.
The Cohn Chair is a two-year appointment as a full-time faculty member in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Allied Services. The position is made possible by the enormous generosity of Maureen and Douglas Cohn of Tampa. The Cohns are longtime friends of CCJS and have significantly deepened Catholic-Jewish relations by establishing the Cohn Chair. The Cohn Chair provides hundreds of students and members of the Tampa community with a specialist in Jewish thought. It also represents the establishment of the discipline of Jewish Studies at Saint Leo, a Benedictine Catholic University.
Raised in Mexico City and Jerusalem, Dr. Bar-Lavi earned a bachelor’s degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago—where he also became a Cubs fan. Before his appointment at Saint Leo, Dr. Bar-Lavi served as the inaugural Scholar-in-Residence in Jewish Studies and Jewish-Christian Relations at Providence College, Rhode Island.
Much of Dr. Bar-Lavi's scholarship examines how Jews and Christians have shaped their identities and beliefs by interacting with, thinking about, and imagining each other. These dynamics, he argues, hold the potential for both coexistence and friendship—as well as intolerance and enmity.
"This research has instilled in me a profound interest in the possibilities contained within both Judaism and Christianity for coexistence, dialogue, and friendship—but also for strife, intolerance, and enmity. Why is it that, at given points in time and space, some of these possibilities are actualized while others are not? What, concretely, are the circumstances, dynamics, and human choices that explain such actualizations? And, no less importantly, what can a critical examination of the long history of these possibilities and their ultimate outcomes—of paths taken and paths that could have been taken—teach us about the present and future of Jewish-Christian relations?"
Recognizing that such dynamics resonate beyond academia, Dr. Bar-Lavi has sought to engage wider audiences by teaching community courses, organizing conferences, and fostering spaces—formal and informal—where people of different beliefs (and of no particular belief) can reflect together on their shared pasts and possible futures.
At Providence College, he taught a number of courses, including Jews and Christians in Dialogue: A Shared and Disputed Heritage; Entwined Faiths: Theological and Cultural Interactions Between Judaism and Christianity Across the Ages; Judaism as an Idea in Western Thought; and a course in the local community, Two Nations in Your Womb: Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity.
Dr. Bar-Lavi also organized two conferences: Aristotle Among the Believers: How Jews, Christians, and Muslims Made the Philosopher Their Own; and Mutual Representations: Judaism and Christianity in Late Antiquity. He also led a reading group for faculty and members of the community, entitled, Maimonides and Aquinas: Reason, Revelation, and the Interpretation of Scripture.
Dr. Bar-Lavi is currently working on a book titled Politics Against God: Judaism and Islam in the Political-Theological Discourses of Early Modernity.
He now lives in Tampa with his wife and their three children.
You can reach Dr. Bar-Lavi at benny.bar-lavi@saintleo.edu
| | |
Nostra Aetate in Our Time of Turmoil
A Reflection on the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions
by Matthew Tapie
| | |
Turmoil is defined as “a state or condition of extreme confusion, agitation, or commotion.” The word seems appropriate for our time, and in moments like these, it is important to take a step back and reflect on how far we have come and search for reasons to be hopeful about our future.
One reason to be hopeful is that this year marks the 60th anniversary of an incredibly influential, positive, and historic document: the Second Vatican Council’s 1965 declaration on the Catholic Church’s relationship with other religions, usually referred to by its Latin title, Nostra Aetate (“In Our Time”).
Nostra Aetate famously rejected antisemitism as well as the “collective guilt” charge, which is the false claim uttered by some Christians that Jews as a people are responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. This untrue teaching was invoked as justification for the abuse and mistreatment of Jews in Christian societies. As is well known, “collective guilt” and similar ideas were deployed by antisemitic thinkers and politicians in the years leading up to and during the Holocaust.
Nostra Aetate’s rejection of antisemitism and the collective guilt charge are not just interesting elements of the development of Catholic doctrine, although the developments are certainly that. The teaching remains relevant for our community today.
In July in St. Petersburg, an antisemitic sign was displayed, stating that Jews were murderers and citing a passage from the New Testament in purported support. In May 2021, St. Petersburg police discovered a swastika and “Jews are guilty” painted on the outside wall of the Florida Holocaust Museum. According to the Antidefamation League, antisemitic incidents in the U.S. are at the highest level ever recorded. The violence of some of the incidents is unprecedented, including the attack in 2018 on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg, and the June 2025 attack on a Jewish group in Boulder, Colorado.
The CCJS has condemned such incidents numerous times. And we join Bishop Gregory Parkes’s recent condemnation of antisemitic acts of violence. Indeed, the CCJS condemned the October 7 Hamas massacre as well.
Why would a Catholic bishop and an academic center at a Catholic university be concerned with incidents of antisemitism?
Because Nostra Aetate is authoritative Catholic teaching, and states “The Church decries displays of anti-Semitism directed against Jews by anyone and at any time.” Nostra Aetate also teaches, “The Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God, as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures,” and “...what happened in [Christ’s] passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today.” Nostra Aetate makes clear that it is against Catholic doctrine to hold antisemitic ideas, such as the “collective guilt” charge, or to commit antisemitic violence.
Nostra Aetate also established a positive direction for the future by calling for dialogue and study with Jews and Judaism as well as members of other traditions. In the years after the Second Vatican Council, a positive Catholic attitude to the Jewish people emerged that rightly stressed the necessity of studying Judaism and respecting Jewish self-definitions. The last five popes and numerous Vatican teaching documents have reinforced these teachings.
Today, the era of constructive Catholic-Jewish relations and dialogue faces some of the most difficult challenges in its relatively short history. Divisions over aspects of the Israel-Hamas war are exacerbated by extremist language and policies that weaken our ability to respect people of different cultures, societies, and backgrounds. How can we learn to respect the self-understanding of our neighbors in the context of conflict and disinformation?
In our time of turmoil, the religious core of our traditions, which emphasizes that all people are created in the image of God, can serve as the strong foundation of our dialogue. Indeed, the dialogue to which Nostra Aetate calls us requires that we respect the dignity of each person and strive to understand the perspectives of all people of goodwill. As Pope Leo XIV has said, “even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours.”
| | |
Church and Synagogue Visit
| | |
The CCJS Church and Synagogue Visit program aims to build deeper appreciation of the religious life of our neighbors through organized visits to local places of worship. Attendees listen to a brief talk by the pastor of the congregation or parish about the liturgical traditions of the community. The visit is informational and is not an interfaith prayer service.
This fall, the CCJS invites members of the Jewish community and others to visit Congregation Beth Shalom on Monday, September 8th, 7-8pm.
Members of the Catholic community and others are invited to visit St. Catherine of Siena, Clearwater, on Monday, September 17th, 7-8pm.
Please mark your calendars for both dates. A question and answer time moderated by the CCJS will follow each session.
The events are free, in-person, and open to the public, but space is limited.
To register you must use the buttons below.
NOTE: If you wish to attend both visits please RSVP for each event.
Congregation Beth Shalom Visit
Monday, September 8th
7:00 - 8:00pm
| | |
St. Catherine of Siena Visit
Wednesday, September 17th
7:00 - 8:00pm
| |
Reflecting on the Future of Catholic-Jewish Relations on the Anniversary of Kristallnacht
Sunday, November 9, 2025 | 6-9 p.m.
Shanna and Bryan Glazer Jewish Community Center
Join us for an evening of reflection on the future of Catholic-Jewish relations on the anniversary of Kristallnacht (German for “night of broken glass”), which most historians identify as the beginning of the Holocaust. We will recognize positive developments in Catholic-Jewish relations and consider the challenges in the work ahead.
featuring
Dr. Adele Reinhartz
21st recipient of the CCJS Eternal Light Award and Distinguished University Professor at the University of Ottawa, Professor in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies
| | |
Fr. Craig E. Morrison, O.Carm.
Professor, Biblical Studies
Chair, Center for Carmelite Studies
School of Theology and Religious Studies
The Catholic University of America
| | |
Location:
Shanna and Bryan Glazer Jewish Community Center
522 N. Howard Ave., Tampa, FL 33606
| | |
Dinner Co-Chairs:
Rabbi Joel Simon
Senior Rabbi, Congregation Schaarai Zedek
Rev. Msgr. Robert F. Morris
Vicar General, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg
Honorary Co-Chairs:
Maureen Cohn and Gail Whiting
This in-person event is open to the public but space is limited.
You can read more about the event here.
The Eternal Light Award is presented to a scholar who has made contributions to Catholic-Jewish studies. A list of previous recipients can be found here.
RSVP by Friday, October 24, 2025.
For more information about the event contact
Ms. Laurie Gens, the CCJS Administrator of Programs and Events, at laurie.gens@saintleo.edu or call 352-588-7711.
Discounted tickets are available for Saint Leo students.
| | |
Israel-Palestine in the Context of Catholic-Jewish Dialogue
| | |
This fall CCJS presents a three-part series that aims to deepen understanding of Jewish and Catholic perspectives on dialogue about Israel and Palestine. The programs in the series will explore theological, historical, and social dimensions of Israel-Palestine in the context of Catholic-Jewish dialogue. Each program includes a question-and-answer session moderated by the CCJS. All the programs are free and open to the public but registration is required.
| |
A Catholic Approach to Dialogue on
Israel-Palestine
Thursday, October 16th, 2–3pm
In-person or Zoom|TECO Hall, Saint Leo University
What is the distinctive vision of a Catholic university in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Join us for a presentation from Dr. Matthew Tapie, Director of the CCJS, entitled “A Catholic Approach to Dialogue on Israel-Palestine." The presentation will focus on the need for Catholics to balance four important principles:
•Engage in a truthful analysis of the difficult history.
•Strive to understand the self-definition and memories of our Jewish neighbors.
•Strive to understand the self-definition and memories of our Palestinian neighbors.
•Approach the conflict through the lens of international law and Catholic social teaching.
Dr. Tapie's presentation will be followed by a response from Dr. Benny Bar-Lavi, the Cohn Visiting Chair in Jewish Thought at the CCJS.
|
|
Catholic-Jewish Dialogue and the Task of
Understanding Catholic Palestinian Perspectives
Tuesday, December 2nd, 12–1pm
Zoom Webinar
The Second Vatican Council called Catholics to dialogue and study with their Jewish neighbors, members of other religious traditions, and all people of good will. What are the promises and challenges of the new era of dialogue from the Catholic Palestinian perspective? This program explores the importance of understanding Catholic Palestinian perspectives.
featuring
| |
Fr. Firas Abedrabbo is the parish priest of the Annunciation Parish Ain Arik, located just west of Ramallah in the central West Bank. He also serves as the Personal Secretary to Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Patriarch of Jerusalem. Fr. Abedrabbo studied at the Latin Patriarchal Seminary of Jerusalem, Beit Jala, and received degrees in Catholic theology and philosophy from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome. He also received a Master of Public Law from the University of Toulouse, France. In 2006, he joined the Dormition Benedictine Abbey in Jerusalem. In 2020, he was ordained for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
| |
Fr. David Mark Neuhaus, SJ, is a member of the Jesuit community in the Holy Land. He teaches Scripture in various institutions in Israel and Palestine including the Latin Patriarchate Seminary in Beit Jala, Bethlehem University, and the Salesian Theological Institute in Jerusalem. He completed a BA, MA and PhD (Political Science) at Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He then completed pontifical degrees in theology and Scripture in Paris at Centre Sevres, and Rome at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. He is emeritus Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Hebrew Speaking Catholics, Migrants and Asylum Seekers in Israel. At present, he also is a fellow at the Jesuit Institute of South Africa. Fr. Neuhaus is also the author of numerous articles and books, including The Land, the Bible, and History: Toward the Land That I Will Show You (Fordham University Press, 2010).
|
| |
Cultivating Conversations on the State of Israel:
The Task of Understanding Israeli Perspectives
Date and Time TBA
Zoom Webinar
| | |
Yossi Klein Halevi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He is co-host, together with Donniel Hartman, of the Hartman Institute’s podcast, For Heaven’s Sake – the number one Jewish podcast in the English-speaking world.
Halevi’s 2013 book, Like Dreamers, won the Jewish Book Council's Everett Book of the Year Award. His latest book, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, has appeared in a dozen languages. He is currently writing a book about the meaning of Jewish survival.
Halevi has written for leading op-ed pages in North America and is a former contributing editor to the New Republic. He is frequently quoted on Israeli, Middle Eastern and Jewish affairs in leading media around the world and is one of the best-known lecturers on Israeli issues in the North American Jewish community and on North American campuses.
He co-directs the Hartman Institute's Muslim Leadership Initiative (MLI), which teaches emerging young Muslim leaders in North America about Judaism, Jewish identity and Israel. Over 150 Muslim leaders have participated in the unique program.
The date and time of this webinar program, as well as registration details will be announced in the coming weeks.
| | |
SAVE THE DATE
The Significance of Nostra Aetate Today
Wednesday, January, 28th
7 - 8 pm | In-person
Christ the King Catholic Church, Tampa
| | |
featuring
His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York
| | |
Timothy Dolan was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI on February 23, 2009. He had served as Archbishop of Milwaukee, appointed there by Pope Saint John Paul II on June 25, 2002.
Born February 6, 1950, Cardinal Dolan was the first of five children born to Shirley and Robert Dolan. His education began at Holy Infant Parish School in Ballwin, Missouri, and continued through the high school and college seminaries in Saint Louis. He then completed his priestly formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he earned a License in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on June 19, 1976, he served as associate pastor at Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights, Mo., until 1979 when he began studies for a doctorate in American Church History at The Catholic University of America.
On his return to Saint Louis, Cardinal Dolan again served in parish ministry from 1983-87, and then was appointed to a five-year term as secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. When he returned to St. Louis in 1992, he was appointed vice-rector and professor of Church History at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, as well as an adjunct professor of theology at Saint Louis University.
In 1994, he was appointed rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he remained until June 2001. While in Rome, he also served as a visiting professor of Church History both at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
On June 19, 2001 – the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood – then Monsignor Dolan was named the Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis by Pope Saint John Paul II, choosing for his Episcopal motto the profession of faith of St. Peter: Ad Quem Ibimus, “To Whom Shall We Go?” (Jn 6:68).
Cardinal Dolan served as chairman of Catholic Relief Services, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.
Cardinal Dolan completed a three year term as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in November, 2013. He also completed terms as chair of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life activities and the Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty.
On January 6, 2012, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI announced that Timothy Dolan was to be appointed to the College of Cardinals. He currently serves as a member of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches, and the Dicastery for Evangelization.
Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Dolan participated in the Conclave that elected Pope Francis in March, 2013. He also participated in the Conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV in May, 2025.
This event is co-organized and sponsored by
the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg and the CCJS
| | |
RECENT NEWS AND ACTIVITIES
| | |
CCJS leads seminar on Nostra Aetate for Catholic priests, deacons, and interreligious officers
| | On February 24th 2025, a group of Catholic priests, deacons, and interreligious officers attended a 1pm - 5pm seminar that examined the origin of Nostra Aetate, subsequent Catholic teaching, and the importance of understanding Judaism today. The seminar took take place at the Diocese of St. Petersburg's Bethany Center in Lutz, Florida, and was led by CCJS Director, Matthew Tapie, and Rabbi David Maayan, former Maureen and Douglas Cohn Visiting Chair in Jewish Thought. The seminar closed with comments by Bishop Gregory Parkes on the importance of understanding and applying Nostra Aetate today. This seminar was co-organized and sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg and the CCJS. | | |
Video recordings of Spring 2025 programs now available
| | |
New book: Catholic-Jewish Engagements on Israel
| | |
A collection of scholarly essays was recently published by CUA Press in the Judaism and Catholic Theology Series that may be of interest to readers of this newsletter.
The book, edited by Gavin D'Costa, Bishop Etienne Vetö, CCN, and Thomas Joseph White, OP, is entitled Catholic-Jewish Engagements on Israel: Holy Land, Political Territory, or Theological Promise?
The volume includes essays by scholars featured in previous CCJS programs, including Yazid Said, Joseph Sievers, Karma Ben-Johanan, Eugene Korn, Gavin D'Costa, David Novak, as well as others.
You can read more about the new volume here.
| | |
CCJS Director to lecture at conferences on the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate
| | |
|
This fall, Dr. Tapie has been invited to deliver lectures at the following academic conferences dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's declaration, Nostra Aetate.
"Nostra Aetate at 60: Legacy and Challenges for Reconciliation and Interreligious Understanding," Sept. 15-16, Washington D.C. Organized by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, and with the American Jewish Committee.
"Catholic-Jewish Friendship: 60 Years After Nostra-Aetate - Annual Rabbi Joseph Klein Lecture," Sept. 30, at Assumption University. Organized by the Center for Civic Friendship at Assumption University and the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts.
“Nostra Aetate in Their Age and in Ours,” Nov. 18-20, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Notre Dame's Jerusalem campus at Tantur. Organized by the University of Notre Dame Department of Theology and the Center for the Study of Christianity at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
"Nostra Aetate 60th Anniversary Symposium," Dec. 6, at Ave Maria University. Organized by the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County, Ave Maria University, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, Florida.
|
| |
|
For 27 years, the CCJS has worked to build bridges of mutual understanding and respect between Catholics and Jews, and all people of good will.
Your gift helps us advance scholarship in Catholic-Jewish studies and relations, and provides interreligious education to thousands of students, leaders, and members of the community.
| | |
If you received this newsletter as a forwarded message and would like to add
your email address to our distribution list please click here.
In order to update your contact information lease click the "Update Profile" link at the very bottom of this message.
For those who can attend our in-person events and wish to receive hard copy invitations and save-the-date reminders by snail mail please be sure to add your physical address to your profile by clicking the "Update Profile" link below.
|
| | | |
