A significant donation of an outstanding American Jewish organization to repair the only Catholic Church of Gaza is the result of years of interreligious cooperation and dialogue between Catholic and Jewish leaders.
The American Jewish committee (AJC) will donate $ 25,000 to help Gaza Christians and rehabilitate the Church of the Sagrada Familia, which was damaged by a projectile of an Israeli tank on July 17.
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Three people died and 17, including Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of Gaza, were injured in the attack on the complex of the Church of the Sagrada Familia, where approximately 500 Christians, as well as several Muslims with disabilities attended by the missionaries of charity, have found refuge for almost two years. The Israeli government apologized to the incident, which described as an accident.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York (United States) and firm defender of dialogue and interreligious cooperation, said that AJC’s desire to help the Christian community in Gaza “reflects our shared Judeo -Christian beliefs: the conviction that peace will finally triumph over the war, that light will triumph over the darkness, that good will triumph over evil. that we sympathize with those who suffer, we strive to be people of hope, and the donation of AJC for the rehabilitation of the community in Gaza is a signal full of hope. ”
Rabbi Noam Marans, Director of Interreligious Affairs of AJC, said that although the “overwhelming concern” of the organization is the well -being of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, helping the Christian community in Gaza “offers an opportunity to include a broader humanity, innocent who has become victims of this painful war initiated by terrorists of Hamas” on October 7, 2023.
The interreligious dialogue between Jews and Catholics has long been a priority for both Catholics and Jews.
Fr. David Neuhaus, former patriarchal vicar for Hebrew -speaking Catholics in Israel, said that the improvement in the relationship between Catholics and Jews can be traced until Our agethe innovative document of the Second Vatican Council on the relationship of the Church with non -Christian religions. Our agewhich will turn 60 this 2025, meant an important change in how the Church formulated its attitude towards people of other religions, especially Jews.
“It was a call to review how we formulated our teaching on the Jews that led to a 180 degree turn,” he said. “We should no longer refer to the Jews in negative terms, or say that the Jews crucified Jesus. It is the recognition that Jesus was Jewish and that Jews are a people chosen by God.”
The Church also focused on the need to apologize to the Jewish people. In the past, “we taught contempt, not respect, with disastrous consequences for the Jewish people. Our age Try to formulate a new language of respect. ”
From this starting point, said Fr. Neuhaus, Catholics and Jews now study the heritage they have in common, including the Scriptures, and work together in Tikkun Olamthe Hebrew term to make the world a better place.
“These are some of the fruits” of interreligious dialogue and respect, added the priest.
Rabbi Eugene Korn, former director of National Interreligious Affairs for the Anti -Fame League, also attributed to Our age The turning point in Catholic relationships.
“Towards the 60s, the relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people were very difficult. The Church taught the Supersionism o Replacement theology, the belief that Christians have replaced Jews as the chosen people of God. That for Christianity to be the truth, Judaism had to be false. This generated a lot of anti -Semitism, ”said Korn.
Our age He replaced these teachings “with a much more cooperative relationship with Judaism and the Jewish people,” said the rabbi. “Suddenly, there was interest in exploring the Jewish roots of Christianity.” Gradually, many Catholic universities established Jewish studies centers where Catholics could learn more about Judaism and Judeo -Christian relations and history.
“It didn’t happen overnight,” Korn said, but finally, “he saw himself as a miraculous reversal.” Since then, the Vatican has established diplomatic relations with Israel. When Pope John Paul II visited Israel, met with Israeli officials, prayed on the western wall and visited the Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem, gestures that had great meaning for Jews around the world.
Although Korn had no connection with the donation of the American Jewish committee, he was not surprised that the American Jewish community would like to help Gaza’s people. Since the AJC announcement, the New York Jewish Federation has donated a million dollars to feed Gaza hungry through Israaid, an Israeli humanitarian organization that has discreetly help people in Gaza during the last 18 months.
“For our own history, we know what persecution is and what it is to be hungry,” Korn said. “Our Jewish values force us to go to their aid. Every human being is created in the image of God.”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in the National Catholic Register.
Michele Chabin
Michele Chabin is the correspondent of the National Catholic Register in the Middle East. Write from Jerusalem.