About IJCR

Flowing from the Catholic and Ignatian identity of Saint Joseph’s University, the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations seeks to increase knowledge and deepen understanding between the Jewish and Catholic communities. Established shortly after the Second Vatican Council, the Institute is inspired by the spirit of reconciliation and friendship expressed by Pope Saint John XXIII to a Jewish delegation at the Vatican: “I am Joseph, your brother!” (Genesis 45:4). The transformation in relations between Jews and Catholics that has unfolded since the Shoah (Holocaust) and the Second Vatican Council has given rise to questions rarely considered since New Testament times. Recognizing that their interrelationship touches on the respective identities of the Jewish and Catholic communities, and keenly aware of the long history of theological antipathy between them, the institute is committed to academic research and education in Christian-Jewish and especially Catholic-Jewish relations.

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The Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations of Saint Joseph’s University came into being as a result of a major transformation that occurred in the Roman Catholic Church during the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Just two years later in 1967, the Jewish-Catholic Institute was founded at Saint Joseph’s College. It is the oldest university center or institute dedicated to Catholic-Jewish relations that was established in the United States in response to the Second Vatican Council. For over four decades, guided by the Rev. Donald Clifford, S.J. and with the aid of Charles Kahn, Jr., the Institute pursued the mission of increasing knowledge and deepening understanding between the Jewish and Catholic communities.

In 2008, Saint Joseph’s University redefined the Institute’s directorship as a senior faculty appointment in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and in 2013 it appointed as assistant director the department’s Jewish Studies professor. The Institute is thus among very few institutions with both Jewish and Catholic experts serving full-time to promote understanding between the two faith communities. In all its activities, the Institute promotes opportunities for Christians and Jews to be study partners, teaching and learning about themselves and each other by studying and experiencing texts, rituals, events and places.

In 2015, this vision was enshrined in a sculpture by artist Joshua Koffman to celebrate the golden jubilee of the Second Vatican Council and the mission of the Institute. The longtime friend of Pope Francis, fellow Argentine Rabbi Abraham Skorka, was the keynote speaker at the dedication of “Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time” at the Chapel of Saint Joseph on Sept. 25. Two days later, Pope Francis himself came to the campus. Embracing his friend, Rabbi Skorka observed of the female figures that symbolize Synagogue and Church: “They are you and I — Pope and Rabbi learning from one another.” After praying for a few moments, the Holy Father blessed the sculpture and the Institute’s mission.

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The Board of Directors at the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations is an advisory body that assists in fulfilling the institute’s mission. It consists of about twenty-five members with roughly an equal number of Christians and Jews. Board members are from the greater Delaware Valley community, together with some members from Saint Joseph’s University. Some board members represent local institutions, while others serve out of their personal dedication to Christian-Jewish rapprochement. Board members are encouraged to enthusiastically promote the institute’s mission, programs, strengths and successes to friends, colleagues and associates, and to attend institute events whenever possible.

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The ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians (and neighboring states) is arguably the most intractable and complex dispute in the world. Conversations about it regularly invoke highly charged terms such as survival, catastrophe, genocide, apartheid, antisemitism and racism. Even in interfaith dialogues that have been underway for decades, talking about the conflict risks generating only angry exchanges.

Saint Joseph’s University’s fundamental goals include the pursuit of truth, the transmission of knowledge and the development of students for the purpose of promoting the common good. In the pursuit of truth and the acquisition of new knowledge, the University examines reality from a wide range of perspectives. The responsible consideration of diverse perspectives requires us always to strive for presentations that fairly present the different sides of an issue, that acknowledge the weaknesses of an argument, wherever appropriate, and that invite genuine dialogue.

In keeping with the mission and fundamental values of Saint Joseph’s University and the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations, we establish these principles for Institute programming on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

Read the Principles for Programming on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict