Reflections from Jews and Roman Catholics on their struggles with the crucial and painful issues that continue to plague Christian-Jewish dialogue.
This book evolved from the editors’ long-standing conviction that informed and honest dialogue is essential in seeking even a partial mending of Christian-Jewish relations after Auschwitz. The task is daunting because of the tortured history involved, and owing to vastly different understandings of basic terms and principles such as “forgiveness,” “history,” and “repentance.” Moreover, political, psychological, and theological triumphalism are far from being vanquished. However, the winds of change seem to be blowing at least in certain quarters of the Roman Catholic Church. And while rejecting the assumption of a moral equivalency between the history of Catholic Christian anti-Semitism and the attitude of Judaism towards their frequent persecutors, one notes the appearance of a more nuanced understanding of Catholicism emerging in sectors of the Jewish community.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
Alan L. Berger occupies the Raddock Eminent Scholar Chair for Holocaust Studies and directs both the Holocaust and Judaic Studies B.A. program and the Center for the Study of Values and Violence after Auschwitz at Florida Atlantic University. Berger was awarded the Degree of Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa from Luther College in 1999.
Susan E. Nowak is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Honors Program at Nazareth College, New York. Nowak holds a Ph.D. in Religion from Syracuse University.
Harry James Cargas, Professor Emeritus of Language and Literature at Webster University, Missouri, was the recipient of the Eternal Flame Award from the Anne Frank Institute, the Micah Award from the American Jewish Committee, and the Human Rights Award from the United Nations Association. Professor Cargas died in 1998.
Review:
This comment by Berger (head of the Holocaust center at Florida Atlantic University) should prompt readers to get the book: 'If Catholics and Jews are interested in working together to seek at least a partial tikkun olam (restoration or repair of the world insofar as this is possible after Auschwitz), the dialogue has to deepen.' Indeed, the dialogue has deepened because of this book's publication. (Thomas A. Idinopulos, Miami University)
The Continuing Agony will enlighten scholars and interested general readers alike. (Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee The Catholic Historical Review)
An indispensable guide to the state of Catholic-Jewish relations and a useful manual to measure the course of Pope Benedict XVI's future relationship with the Jewish people. (Jack Fischel, Millersville University)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.