The Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation or CJCUC is an educational institution at which Christians who tour

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

can study the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Orthodox rabbis and learn about the Hebraic roots of Christianity. The center was established in

Efrat Efrat ( he, אֶפְרָת), or previously officially Efrata ( he, אֶפְרָתָה), is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, established in 1983 in the Judean Mountains. Efrat is located south of Jerusalem, between Bethlehem and Hebron, ...

in 2008 by Rabbi Dr.

Shlomo Riskin Shlomo Riskin (born May 28, 1940) is an Orthodox rabbi, and the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City, which he led for 20 years; founding chief rabbi of the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Israe ...

, who has been described as "the most prominent rabbinic spokesperson to Christian Zionists". CJCUC partners with major Christian interfaith organizations such as

Christians United for Israel Christians United for Israel (CUFI) is an American Christian organization that supports Israel. Its statement of purpose is; "to provide a national association through which every pro-Israel church, parachurch organization, ministry or individua ...

and the

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) is a Christian Zionist organisation based in Jerusalem. History The International Christian Embassy was founded in 1980 by evangelical Christians to express their support for the State of Israe ...

. Since Riskin's retirement as president of Ohr Torah Stone in 2018, the overseeing of all CJCUC activities has been turned over to

David Nekrutman David Nekrutman ( he, דוד נקרוטמן; born 28 November 1973) is an American-Israeli Orthodox Jewish theologian, writer, director, columnist, public speaker, and pro-Israel activist. He is a prominent figure and pioneer in the world of Jew ...

who has served as the center's chief director since its inception.

History

The ideological groundwork, which led to the eventual establishment of CJCUC in 2008, began to take shape almost 50 years beforehand. In 1964, Rabbi

Joseph B. Soloveitchik Joseph Ber Soloveitchik ( he, יוסף דב הלוי סולובייצ׳יק ''Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveychik''; February 27, 1903 – April 9, 1993) was a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a scion ...

, the teacher and mentor of CJCUC's Chancellor and Founder,

, published an essay entitled "Confrontation" in which he expounded his views on interfaith dialogue and carefully drew out guidelines which permitted such a dialogue and, in the view of Riskin, not only permitted it but rendered it necessary. At around the same time, fundamental ideological shifts were forming within the ranks of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

, and a year after Soloveitchik's essay was published, The Holy See issued ''

Nostra aetate (from Latin: "In our time") is the incipit of the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated o ...

'', the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions. ''Nostra aetate'' absolved the Jews from the

crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and consider ...

, and admitted that religious antisemitism had a significant role in laying the foundation for the atrocities perpetrated against the Jewish people. Riskin's academic plunge into Jewish–Christian relations began in the early 1960s when he attended seminars, held by Professor

David Flusser David Flusser (Hebrew: דוד פלוסר; born 1917; died 2000) was an Israeli professor of Early Christianity and Judaism of the Second Temple Period at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Biography David Flusser was born in Vienna on Septem ...

, about the Christian Gospels at The

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

. As an

Orthodox Jew Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...

, he could pinpoint the parallels for Jesus' teachings within the Hebrew scripture. After settling in Efrat, Riskin began to engage with the Christian world. Most of the Christian visitors to Efrat, those who came to hear and learn, were

Evangelicals Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

. He formed relations with Rev. Robert Stearns of Eagles' Wings and with Pastor

John Hagee John Charles Hagee (born April 12, 1940) is an American pastor and televangelist. The founder of John Hagee Ministries, his ministry is telecast to the United States and Canada. Hagee is also the founder and chairman of the Christian-Zionist org ...

. Since Riskin's retirement as president of Ohr Torah Stone institutions in 2018, the overseeing of all CJCUC activities has been turned over to

who has served as the center's chief director since its inception.

Activities

Hebraic Bible Study

Blessing Bethlehem - Food Care Package Distribution

CJCUC hosts Christian groups from all over the world for all-day seminars, which include tours of biblical sites such as nearby

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, the Path of the Patriarchs and the Herodian wells. Among the subjects that the seminar series includes are Jewish–Christian Relations; the Theology of Biblical Holidays; Covenant and Mission;

The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ� ...

; Satan, Evil and Free Will;

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...

and the Ministry of Jesus; and Human Life Created in the Image of God. The center runs educational seminars for students and faculty of Catholic and Protestant seminaries in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It has appointed North American and European directors to coordinate relations with religious leaders on these continents. CJCUC has established a Theological Think Tank, the Institute for Theological Inquiry (ITI), headed by Rabbi Eugene Korn and Dr.

Robert Jenson Robert William Jenson (August 2, 1930 – September 5, 2017) was a leading American Lutheran and ecumenical theologian. Prior to his retirement in 2007, he spent seven years as the director of the Center for Theological Inquiry at Princeton Theo ...

of the Witherspoon Institute, which consists of international scholars and theologians whose tasks are to clarify areas of Jewish and Christian theological agreement and disagreement, as well as identify areas of fruitful cooperation. The topics focus on past and present Jewish–Christian Relations,

Covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

Salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

, Biblical Hermeneutics, Religion and Violence,

Ethical Monotheism Ethical monotheism is a form of exclusive monotheism in which God is believed to be the only god as well as the source for one's standards of morality, guiding humanity through ethical principles. Definition Ethical monotheism originated within ...

, and

Messianism Messianism is the belief in the advent of a messiah who acts as the savior of a group of people. Messianism originated as a Zoroastrianism religious belief and followed to Abrahamic religions, but other religions have messianism-related concepts ...

. In May 2011, CJCUC facilitated and sponsored a

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

student group consisting of Orthodox Jewish and

Evangelical Christians Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...

to learn the fundamentals of Jewish–Christian relations. In March 2012, CJCUC took Latin American priests and rabbis to learn the fundamentals of Jewish-Catholic relations in the backdrop of the Holy Land. In June 2012, CJCUC partnered with Christians United for Israel to bring 30 Evangelical pastors from the U.S. to learn the fundamentals of Jewish–Christian relations. In February 2013, CJCUC co-sponsored the visit of more than 160 pastors to Israel through the

organization. In January 2015, CJCUC founder, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin along with CJCUC's Executive Director, David Nekrutman, addressed a group of 400 pastors and rabbis at a symposium held in Broward County, Florida. In February 2015, on a visit to Oklahoma, Rabbi Riskin unveiled plans for historic high school curricula, being worked on in a joint effort with the government of Israel, detailing advancements in Jewish–Christian relations. In July 2016, CJCUC announced that it was moving its center of operations from

to the

Bible Lands Museum The Bible Lands Museum ( he, מוזיאון ארצות המקרא ירושלים, ar, متحف بلدان الكتاب) is an archaeological museum in Jerusalem, that explores the culture of the peoples mentioned in the Bible including ancient ...

. CJCUC has received funds from Israel's Hertog family, Paul Singer Foundation, Zion's Gate International Foundation,

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Justi ...

, and

Ministries.

Day to Praise

In October 2014, Riskin became the first Orthodox rabbi to invite Christian visitors to Israel to participate in a "praise rally" with Jewish interfaith leaders at the Center's headquarters during the holiday of

Sukkot or ("Booths, Tabernacles") , observedby = Jews, Samaritans, a few Protestant denominations, Messianic Jews, Semitic Neopagans , type = Jewish, Samaritan , begins = 15th day of Tishrei , ends = 21st day of Tis ...

. For Sukkot 2012, he hosted a seminar for Christian visitors. In March 2015, he launched the Day to Praise global initiative calling out to Christians worldwide to join him in reciting

Hallel Hallel ( he, הַלֵּל, "Praise") is a Jewish prayer, a verbatim recitation from Psalms which is recited by observant Jews on Jewish holidays as an act of praise and thanksgiving. Holy days Hallel consists of six Psalms (113–118), which ...

(Psalms 113–118) to praise God on

Yom Ha'atzmaut Independence Day ( he, יום העצמאות ''Yom Ha'atzmaut'', lit. "Day of Independence") is the national day of Israel, commemorating the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is marked by official and unofficial ceremonie ...

(Israel's Independence Day). Later that year, in 2015, during the festival of

, CJCUC, together with its founder, Rabbi

, the chief rabbi of

, hosted an interfaith event in Efrat in which 200 Christians and Jews came together to sing the praises of God in unity. Riskin said that ''"the prayer event will help usher in the

Messianic Age In Abrahamic religions, the Messianic Age is the future period of time on Earth in which the messiah will reign and bring universal peace and brotherhood, without any evil. Many believe that there will be such an age; some refer to it as the cons ...

."''

Blessing Bethlehem

CJCUC created the first food voucher program to help financially disadvantaged Christian Arabs living in the Land. In September 2016, the center launched the "

Blessing Bethlehem Blessing Bethlehem is a charity fundraising initiative with the purpose of helping the persecuted Christians living in the city of Bethlehem and its surrounding areas. It was launched in September 2016 by the Center for Jewish-Christian Understand ...

" fundraising initiative at the

LifeLight Festival LifeLight Festival was an annual free outdoor Christian music festival held over Labor Day weekend on a farm near Worthing, South Dakota, which is 12 miles south of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. History LifeLight Festival was started by Alan and V ...

in Sioux Falls,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

in and effort to create a food giveaway program for persecuted Christians in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital ...

and the surrounding area.

Social activism

In October 2013, CJCUC Executive Director, David Nekrutman published a controversial appeal for funds from Jews to support the purchase of a permanent site for the Christian-Arab church of Pastor Steven Khoury. In May 2014, CJCUC sponsored an interfaith Latin American clergy mission that visited the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, Israel, donating supplies to wounded Syrian civil war refugees. In a September 2015 piece for

The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.

, Executive Director, David Nekrutman appealed to the Israeli

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

in regards to budget cuts and equal funding for Christian Schools in Israel citing these budget cuts as ''"collateral damage"'' of internal political issues and stating that these issues ''"should never oppress minority populations"''. Later, together with The Pave the Way Foundation (PTWF) and the Galilee Center for Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations (CSJCR), CJCUC initiated an international campaign urging the Israeli Prime Minister and Education Ministry to Save Christian Education.

Accomplishments

CJCUC accomplishments include: * In January 2012, CJCUC received the honorary title of Goodwill Ambassador for Jewish–Christian Relations from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In his letter, the prime minister writes: ''"I believe you are uniquely suited to be an Ambassador of Goodwill for the State of Israel to strengthen relations between Jews and Christians throughout the world. I know that you will continue to promote understanding between Jews and Christians in a spirit of mutual respect that will enable both to work together to better mankind."'' * CJCUC is on the official body between the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

and the Jewish people via IJCIC. In January 2011, Riskin had an audience with

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

, and in June 2013, CJCUC's Academic Director Rabbi Eugene Korn, along with other members of the organized Jewish establishment, met with

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...

. * CJCUC's Executive Director,

, was accepted into the

Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, evangelist Oral Roberts. Sitting on a campus, ORU offers over 70 undergraduate degree programs ...

online Graduate Theology program, the first Orthodox Jew to do so. In 2011 Nekrutman spoke to Korean Christians at a pro-Israel rally held in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

. Nekrutman was the first Orthodox Jew to speak at the

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness– Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly ...

(COGIC) conference and discuss the importance of visiting Israel. In April 2012, he was the main speaker at CUFI's first international event in Nairobi where over 1,500 Africans attended to support Israel.

Orthodox Rabbinic Statement on Christianity

On 3 December 2015, CJCUC spearheaded a petition of orthodox rabbis from around the world calling for increased partnership between Jews and Christians. The unprecedented statement, entitled ''"To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians"'', was initially signed by over 25 prominent Orthodox rabbis in Israel, United States, and Europe. The statement cites traditional opinions by past rabbinic authorities to justify partnership with Christians and religious appreciation of Christianity. In May 2017, the statement was approbated by Rabbi Abraham Skorka of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

and Cardinal

Christoph Schönborn Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert Graf von Schönborn, O.P. (; born 22 January 1945) is a Bohemian-born Austrian Dominican friar and theologian, who is a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He serves as the Archbishop of Vienna and ...

Archbishop of Vienna The Archbishop of Vienna is the prelate of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna who is concurrently the metropolitan bishop of its ecclesiastical province which includes the dioceses of Eisenstadt, Linz and St. Pölten. From 1469 to 1513, bi ...

Publications

* "Covenant and Hope—Christian and Jewish Reflections" (Eerdmans, 2012) * "Plowshares into Swords? Reflections on Religion and Violence" (2014) (Kindle Edition) * "RETURNING TO ZION: CHRISTIAN AND JEWISH PERSPECTIVES" (2015) (Kindle Edition) * "Cup of Salvation: A Powerful Journey Through King David's Psalms of Praise" ( Gefen Publishing, 2017)

Staff

* Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Founder * Rabbi Kenneth Brander, Chancellor *

, Executive Director * Rabbi Josh Ahrens, Director Central Europe * Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, Associate Director (2015-2019) * Rabbi Angel Kreiman-Brill (1945–2014), Latin American director * Limor Riskin, Director of Operations

References

External links

*
CJCUC Press & Media Archive
*
Coalition issues Jewish-Christian statement of understanding
' – Oregon Faith Report – ''29 May 2011''
CJCUC Introduction (PDF)
– separationtruth.com *

' – Christian Newswire – ''1 March 2012''
"Rabbi Shlomo Riskin: Christianity Has Changed Drastically In the 20th Century"
''

The Jewish Week ''The Jewish Week'' is a weekly independent community newspaper targeted towards the Jewish community of the metropolitan New York City area. ''The Jewish Week'' covers news relating to the Jewish community in NYC. In March 2016, ''The Jewish W ...

'', 5 September 2012 * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation Christian and Jewish interfaith dialogue Christianity in Jerusalem Christian Zionism in Israel Educational organizations based in Israel Educational institutions established in 2008 Interfaith organizations Israel educational programs Jewish interfaith organizations Jewish organizations based in Israel Jewish studies research institutes Organizations established in 2008 Religious pluralism Religious Zionist organizations 2008 establishments in Israel