Antisemitism
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The irrational challenges our common humanity and goodwill daily. Fear overwhelms in the dark atmosphere of hate. We fall silent because words fail to express the depth of fear and grief that weighs on our hearts. On an evening intended for an interfaith dialogue, a group of young professionals gathered under the theme of “Turning…
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Letting in the Fresh Air COMPASSION AND CHANGE Letting in the Fresh Air Bob, an artist friend, recounted a story to me about Cardinal Loris Capovilla, Pope John XXIII’s personal secretary. Father Capovilla told Bob that moments after being elected pope, and they were alone, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli said, “They chose me to be pope…
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PART THREE: THE POSSIBILITY OF ANSWERS THE SYNAGOGUE, THE CHURCH, AND THE MOSQUE I am a proponent of ecumenical dialogue. In the past, I participated in meetings, assisted others in preparing their conferences talks, and taught in various denominational settings. Today, in a time of deep concerns, rabbis, pastors, priests, and imams need to engage…
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April 5th marks the beginning of a Solidarity Movement here in the States. Those of us who are older remember the nonviolent struggle against the Polish authoritarian communist government. The movement was a coalition of union workers, students, intellectuals, farmers, and the Church. On the streets of cities and towns of the United States, we…
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This morning, I awoke feeling as if I were skating on a razor’s edge to the Rolling Stone’s “Sympathy for the Devil.” I distinctly recall one of the last conversations with my father. This took place on an April afternoon shortly before he died in the line of duty with the Oakland, New Jersey, First…
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Purim is a holiday of joy and remembrance. There is a carnival spirit to the holiday celebration of the triumph of Mordecai and Esther in thwarting King Ahasuerus’s advisor Haman’s scheme to exterminate all the Jews in the Persian empire. In brief, Esther’s revelation to the king of her Jewish identity, and Haman’s intent to…
Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal 