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The Dabru Emet ( Heb. דברו אמת "Speak heTruth") is a document concerning the relationship between
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
and
Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
. It was signed by over 220
rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
s and
intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...
s from all branches of
Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
, as individuals and not as representing any organisation or stream of Judaism. In light of the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
in 1965, the Dabru Emet was first published on 10 September 2000, in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', and has since been used in Jewish education programs across the U.S. While affirming that there are theological differences between these two religions, the purpose of Dabru Emet is to point out common ground and a legitimacy of Christianity, for non-Jews, from the Jewish perspective. It is not an official document of any of the Jewish denominations per se, but it is representative of what many
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
s feel. Eight major themes are expressed: #Jews and Christians worship the same God #Jews and Christians seek authority from the same book #Christians can respect the claim of the Jews on the land of Israel #Jews and Christians together accept the moral principles of the Torah (Pentateuch) #Nazism is not a Christian phenomenon #The controversy between Jews and Christians will not be settled until God redeems the entire world as promised in scripture and no-one should be pressed into believing another's belief #A new relationship between Jews and Christians will not weaken Jewish practice #Jews and Christians must work together for justice and peace


Jewish criticism

There are various objections to ''Dabru Emet'' from within the Jewish community. Some hold that it understates the significant
theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...
differences between the two religions. Thus, most
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
and
Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...
rabbis have not signed it, although many do agree with most of the document. Very few
Orthodox rabbis Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
have signed it; The Institute for Public Affairs, of the ''Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations'' (commonly known as the
Orthodox Union The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs f ...
) issued this response: While agreeing with desire to encourage inter-faith dialogue and reconciliation, many Jews disagree with the section in Dabru Emet which holds that Christian theology is not in any way to blame for most of the last 2,000 years of
anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
, or
the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. Instead, it is believed by many Jews that much of Christian theology and teachings have been deeply anti-Semitic. Jews point to the 2,000 year history of antisemetism committed by Christians, and
anti-Judaism Anti-Judaism denotes a spectrum of historical and contemporary ideologies that are fundamentally or partially rooted in opposition to Judaism. It encompasses the rejection or abrogation of the Mosaic covenant and advocates for the superse ...
inherent in Christian theological dogma. For instance, statements in the
New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
, such as , in which Jesus speaks divisive words to some particular Jews of his day:


Orthodox Rabbis' Statement: "Christianity Is Neither Accident Nor Error"

On 3 December 2015, 28 Orthodox Rabbis released a statement through the Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC) in Israel. Rabbis Irving Greenberg, David Rosen, and Shlomo Riskin are prominent among them in the interfaith movement. The unprecedented declaration, entitled ''"To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians"'', praises “Nostra Aetate,” a Vatican document that repudiated Christian persecution against Jews. “Now that the Catholic Church has acknowledged the eternal Covenant between God and Israel, we Jews can acknowledge the ongoing constructive validity of Christianity as our partner in world redemption, without any fear that this will be exploited for missionary purposes,” it reads.


Christian reaction

The European
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
Commission on the Church and the Jewish People (Lutherische Europäische Kommission Kirche und Judentum, LEKKJ), an
umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and iden ...
representing twenty-five Lutheran church bodies in Europe, issued on May 12, 2003 ''A Response to Dabru Emet'':


Further reading

*"How not to conduct Jewish-Christian dialogue" Jon D. Levenson; ''Commentary''; Dec 2001; Vol. 112(5) *''From Confrontation to Covenantal Partnership'', Jehoschua Ahrens, Irving Greenberg, Eugene Korn, eds. (Urim, 2021) *"Jewish-Christian dialogue" Jon D. Levenson; ''Commentary''; Apr 2002; Vol. 113(4) *"A Cordial Invitation to 170 Rabbis and Jewish Scholars" Atila Sinke Guimaraes; Tradition in Action, Los Angeles 2001


See also

*
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
*
Christian–Jewish reconciliation Christian−Jewish reconciliation refers to the efforts that are being made to improve understanding and acceptance between Christians and Jews. There has been significant progress in reconciliation in recent years, in particular by the Catholic C ...
*
Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
* Relations between Catholicism and Judaism *
Religious Pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religion, religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and Religious tolerance, tolerating the religio ...
*
Tikva Frymer-Kensky Tikva Simone Frymer-Kensky (Hebrew: תקווה פריימר-קנסקי; October 21, 1943 – August 31, 2006) was a professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School. She received her MA and PhD from Yale University. She had previously ser ...
* To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians


References


External links


National Jewish Scholars Project - the text of Dabru Emet
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021016094616/http://www.icjs.org/what/njsp/signers.html , date=2002-10-16 * Hebrew translation
http://yehoyada-amir.blogspot.com/
* Amy-Jill Levine: Reassessing Jewish-Christian Relations, Burke Lectureship on Religion & Society, 6/19/2001 Christian and Jewish interfaith dialogue 2000 in religion