International Council of Christians and Jews
Encyclopedia
The International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) is an umbrella organization of 38 national groups in 32 countries world-wide engaged in the Christian
-Jewish
dialogue.
Founded as a reaction to the Holocaust
, many groups of theologians, historians and educators dedicated their efforts to seek Christian-Jewish reconciliation
.
(Germany
), in the house where the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber
lived until Nazi persecution forced him to flee Germany.
, giving 10 points in recommendation.
The ICCJ runs a website, Jewish-Christian Relations, "which is devoted to fostering mutual respect and understanding between Christians and Jews around the world."
In more recent years the ICCJ and its members increasingly engaged in the Abrahamic dialogue: the encounter between Jews, Christians and Muslims
.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
-Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
dialogue.
Founded as a reaction to the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, many groups of theologians, historians and educators dedicated their efforts to seek Christian-Jewish reconciliation
Christian-Jewish reconciliation
Reconciliation between Christianity and Judaism refers to the efforts that are being made to improve understanding of the Jewish people and of Judaism, to do away with Christian antisemitism and Jewish anti-Christian sentiment...
.
Mission
According to the Mission Statement of the ICCJ, 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 HeppenheimHeppenheim
Heppenheim is the seat of Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany, lying on the Bergstraße on the edge of the Odenwald.- Location :...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), in the house where the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber
Martin Buber
Martin Buber was an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of religious existentialism centered on the distinction between the I-Thou relationship and the I-It relationship....
lived until Nazi persecution forced him to flee Germany.
The 10 Points of Seelisberg
In 1947 the ICCJ published a document after the Seelisberg ConferenceSeelisberg Conference
The Seelisberg Conference was an international conference that took place in the small town of Seelisberg in Switzerland from 30 July to 5 August 1947 in order to study the causes of Christian antisemitism....
, 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..."The ICCJ runs a website, Jewish-Christian Relations, "which is devoted to fostering mutual respect and understanding between Christians and Jews around the world."
In more recent years the ICCJ and its members increasingly engaged in the Abrahamic dialogue: the encounter between Jews, Christians and Muslims
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
External links
- International Council of Christians and Jews Official website
- JC Relations, a website donated to ICCJ in 2000 by Fritz B. Voll