IJCR Upcoming Events
Impact on Christian-Jewish Relations of the Israel-Hamas War & Rising Antisemitism
Jewish Scholars from the USA, Europe, and Israel Reflect on Today’s Challenges for Dialogue with Christians
A Webinar on Thursday, June 5, 2025
1:00-2:30 pm EDT, 6:00-7:30 pm BST, 7:00-8:30 pm EST, 8 :00-9:30 pm IDT
Co-Sponsored by the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations of SJU and the Woolf Institute, Cambridge, UK
REGISTER HERE
The Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, the consequent and ongoing war in Gaza, and the dramatic rise in antisemitism globally have strained Christian-Jewish relations to an extent not seen in decades. Nuanced, informed, and frank dialogue is harder and rarer. Join us as four Jewish veterans of Christian-Jewish dialogue and research share their perspectives on the present state of the relationship.
PANELISTS:
Rabbi Dr. Jehoshua Ahrens is Chief Rabbi of Salzburg, Community Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Bern, and honorary director for Central Europe of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation.
Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish is the Founding Director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI).
Rabbi Dr. Ruth Langer is Professor of Jewish Studies in the Theology Department, Director of Graduate Studies, and Associate Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College.
Dr. Ben Sax is the Head of Scholarship and the Jewish Scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore.
MODERATORS:
Dr. Adam Gregerman is Professor of Jewish Studies and Co-Director of the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia.
Dr. Ed Kessler is Founder President of the Woolf Institute in Cambridge, England.
REGISTER HERE
Facing the Future as Friends: Catholics, Jews, and Muslims
Trilateral Relationships Sixty Years after Nostra Aetate
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2025, 9 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M. (lunch to follow)
Campion Student Center: Doyle Banquet Hall South (campus map)
Registration Required
[This is an early notice of an event in development].
Organized in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, City of Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, City of Philadelphia Office of Muslim Engagement, and the Peace Islands Institute with support from the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Philadelphia Religious Leaders Council, and others.]
On October 28, 1965, the Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church issued an authoritative declaration on its relationship with other religions. Entitled Nostra Aetate, Latin for “In Our Time,” it called for interreligious dialogue, devoting special attention to Jews and Muslims. To mark its sixtieth anniversary, we will reflect together on the new possibilities for interreligious friendships that declaration enabled, consider the religious topics we need to keep exploring, and discuss how to continue building the interreligious solidarity that is desperately needed in today’s divided and violent world.
Keynote Speaker: Cardinal Wilton Gregory
His Eminence Cardinal Wilton Gregory is Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, having served as its seventh Archbishop from 2019–2025. He is co-chair of the dialogue between the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Council of Synagogues. Cardinal Gregory will be introduced by Philadelphia's Archbishop Nelson Pérez.
Panel: The Past and Future Impact of Nostra Aetate on Catholic relations with Jews and Muslims
Rev. Russell K. McDougall is the Executive Director of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Rabba Rori Picker Neiss serves as the Senior Vice President for Community Relations at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA).
Dr. Zeki Saritoprak is a Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and Director of the Bediuzzaman Said Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies at John Carroll University.
Facilitated Process: Interfaith Friendships in Times of Crisis
Rabbi Or Rose is the founding Director of the Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership and also of the Center for Global Judaism at Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts.
Dr. Homayra Ziad is Director of Campus Partnerships at Interfaith America and Senior Lecturer in the Program in Islamic Studies at Johns Hopkins University.