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18 HASHALOM November
2016
November 2016
HASHALOM
19
COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish community welcomed Rabbi David Rosen to the celebrations with the
Catholic Church, RFP and the other world religions to the 50th anniversary of Nostra
Aetata.
For centuries the Catholic Church worked hard to keep Jews in their subservient place
– barring them from owning property, from practising professions, from attending
university, from traveling freely. It did this in the belief it was upholding the very
foundation of Catholic theology and doctrine. In this Replacement Theology, the
Catholic Church is the new Israel; it has become inheritor of God’s favour as the “chosen
people”. The Jews are accursed because of their rejection of Jesus.
A watershed change was the Vatican II’s Nostra Aetata declaration in 1965 that
repudiated the charge that Jews were collectively responsible for killing Jesus, stressed
the religious bond between Jews and Catholics and called for interfaith contacts. But it
still took the Catholic Church a painfully long 28 years to officially recognise the state
of Israel in 1993. On May 28, 2015 during meetings with Jewish leaders, Pope Francis
pronounced “Anyone who does not recognise the Jewish people and the state of Israel
– and their right to exist – is guilty of anti-semitism”.
Our guest speaker Rabbi David Rosen argued we are a privileged generation “to have
witnessed in terms of Jewish history, the two greatest miracles of modern times” the
establishment of the state of Israel and the transformative relationships between
Christians and Jews. He has been the key player in this process.
A former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, and Senior Rabbi of the Green and Sea Point Orthodox
Jewish congregation in Cape Town, he is based in Jerusalem as the Director of the
American Jewish Committee’s Department of Inter-religious Affairs. He also serves
as the Advisor on Inter-religious Affairs to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. He is an
International President of Religions for Peace.
In 2005 Rabbi Rosen was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the
Great in recognition of his contribution to Jewish-Catholic reconciliation, making him
the first Israeli citizen to receive the honour. He was appointed Commander of the
Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.
CELEBRATING
NOSTRA AETATE
Pictured at the Interfaith conference held at the DJC
on Wednesday evening to celebrate 50 years since the
establishment of Nostre Aetate are from left: Professor Antony
Arkin, Catholic Cardinal Wilfred Napier, Ela Gandhi, Papal
Nuncio, Archbishop Peter Wells, Ben Schwartz, chair of the
Zionist Federation and Paddy Meskin.
Monsignor Peter Wells, Papal Nuncio
Mrs Sharon Rosen and Cardinal Wilfred Napier
Rabbi David Rosen
By Antony Arkin
JNF TREE CERTIFICATES
MAKE THE IDEAL GIFT
FOR ANY OCCASION
An ongoing reminder that JNF is constantly
taking care of the land, producing cutting
edge development in agriculture and food
security, water security and beautification;
MAKING ISRAEL A WORLD LEADER.
For assistance please contact
Leanne Cramer on 082 880 1010