International Council of Christians and Jews
The International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) is an umbrella organization of 38 national groups in 32 countries worldwide engaged in the Christian-Jewish dialogue.[1]
Founded as a reaction to the Holocaust, many groups of theologians, historians and educators dedicated their efforts to seek Christian–Jewish reconciliation.
Mission
According to the Mission Statement of the ICCJ,[2] the group:
- promotes understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews based on respect for each other's identity and integrity
- addresses issues of human rights and human dignity deeply enshrined in the traditions of Judaism and Christianity
- counters all forms of prejudice, intolerance, discrimination, racism and the misuse of religion for national and political domination
- affirms that in honest dialogue each person remains loyal to his or her own essential faith commitment, recognizing in the other person his or her integrity and otherness
- coordinates worldwide activities through conferences held regularly in different countries
- encourages research and education to promote interreligious understanding among students, teachers, religious leaders, and scholars
- performs outreach in regions that so far have little or no structured Jewish-Christian dialogue
- provides a platform for theological debate
Location
The international headquarters of the ICCJ are located in Heppenheim (Germany), in the house where the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber lived until Nazi persecution forced him to flee Germany.
The 10 Points of Seelisberg
In 1947 the ICCJ published a document after the Seelisberg Conference, giving 10 points in recommendation.
Recent activities
In 1993 ICCJ published "Jews and Christians in Search of a Common Religious Basis for Contributing Towards a Better World." This document "contains both separate Jewish perspectives and Christian perspectives concerning mutual communication and cooperation as well as a joint view of a common religious basis for Jews and Christians to work together for a better world..." [3]
The ICCJ runs a website, Jewish-Christian Relations, "which is devoted to fostering mutual respect and understanding between Christians and Jews around the world." [4]
In more recent years the ICCJ and its members increasingly engaged in the Abrahamic dialogue: the encounter between Jews, Christians and Muslims.
See also
References
External links
- International Council of Christians and Jews Official website
- JC Relations, a website donated to ICCJ in 2000 by Fritz B. Voll
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