Jews and Christians in Dialogue II

The last five decades have witnessed a growing interest among Protestants, Catholics and Jews to discuss issues of mutual consideration. This was enabled by the efforts of the Christian Churches to establish a dialogue towards mutual understanding, overcoming prejudice and enhancing tolerance. Ever since the Shoah, leading Christian Churches have publicly expressed their anguish over the past, and in this they have markedly changed their teachings. Patronising attitudes, contempt or acting in demeaning manners appear to be ebbing away. Inter-faith dialogue's ultimate goal is not to make the relationship ideal but to find a way to learn respect for other beliefs and traditions.

Growing insight, compassion, understanding, and knowledge are the expected results of such encounters. One of them took place in Stockholm in March 2000. It was the Second Polish-Swedish Colloquium on Jewish-Christian Dialogue. The present book contains results of this meeting. High representatives of Christian Churches (Orthodox Archbishop, Catholic Bishop, priest and Dominican monk, Lutheran Bishop) met and discussed with two Rabbis (of the Conservative tradition) and scholars coming from various academic disciplines. The book discusses examples of contacts between Christian Churches and Judaism, and between Christians and Jews. There are also articles about the history and the contemporary life of Jewish communities in Sweden, Poland and Latvia, as depicted in literary fiction or described in historical studies.