This year’s Jewish Community Relations Committee Social Justice seder, scheduled for March 26th, will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the historic document resulting from the second Vatican council held 1962-1965. The purpose of the council was to modernize the church and to promote interfaith dialogue, notably the relationship with the Jewish community.
Amy-Jill Levine is professor emerita of New Testament and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School. She says there are three essential points in Nostra Aetate. “First, it affirms what is ‘true and holy’ in non-Catholic religions, with explicit mentions of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. Second, it rejects ‘any discrimination’ based on ‘race, color, condition of life, or religion.’ Third, and taking up almost half of the document, Nostra Aetate emphasizes, ‘the bond of spirituality’ that ties Catholics to Jews, that the Church ‘decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone,’ that Jesus’s death ‘cannot be charged against all Jews,’ and that in Catholic preaching and teaching ‘the Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God.’”
It is in this spirit that this year’s JCRC seder will welcome Bishop J. Mark Spalding of Nashville Catholic diocese as a featured guest. Spalding says he is excited about the church’s participation the seder once again since the last celebration 10 years ago. “The document was an opening of a great relationship. And seeing the Jewish people and the wonderful faith that they have and hold and rejoice in, they are a community that can help us as we journey through life and appreciate the kinship we have.”
The theme of this year’s seder is “Shared Works, Shared World,” reflecting the common vision both faiths share to repair the world. Spalding says, “One of the key parts is our teaching around the corporal works of mercy to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to visit the imprisoned, to visit the homebound and those who are sick. Those are core teachings and we try to live by them.”
The seder will be led by Rabbi Joshua Kullock of West End Synagogue. He says it is important for the Jewish community to engage in events like this because it strengthens the relationship between people of different faiths. He has a deep understanding of this importance based on his personal experience. “Growing up in Argentina and then serving for seven years in Guadalajara, Mexico, the interfaith world was primarily working with the Catholic church.” He adds that during his time in Guadalajara, he developed a relationship with the Cardinal and worked on various tzedakah projects with the church.
The words, Nostra Aetate, translate to the English, “in our times.” Levine, who attended the Vatican’s celebration in October, says the document has evolved over the past 60 years. She says the Vatican as well as several national bishops’ assemblies have worked to remove antisemitic teaching and have encouraged dialogue between Catholics and Jews.
She cites some key examples, starting with the 1988 publishing by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ publication of “God’s Mercy Endures Forever: Guidelines on the Presentation of Jews and Judaism in Catholic Preaching.” She says more recently, “Pope Francis acknowledged problematic New Testament teachings regarding Pharisees and insisted that loving the neighbor requires finding ‘ways to overcome ancient prejudices.’”
Levine is currently the vice president of the Catholic Biblical Association and will become president in August. She says the association has continued to produce guidelines on presenting Jewish practice and belief for Catholic priests and other religious educators. And she has continued to educate priests herself. “In 2019 I both taught a New Testament course at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome (the first Jew to do so) and did a workshop for the priests in the Diocese of Nashville on how to avoid antisemitic teaching and preaching.”
Kullock agrees that Nostra Aetate was a great step in uniting Catholics and Jews after a long and painful history, and says its importance continues to grow. “The document is powerful because it creates conditions for a deeper conversation and presents opportunity for a different understanding of the two groups.”
Levine agrees and says Nostra Aetate not only changed Catholic teaching about Jews, but it also prompted Jewish rethinking about the Church. She cites a December 2015 document published by a group of Orthodox rabbis titled, “To do the will of our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership of Jews and Christians.” She says, “It states, ‘Now that the Catholic Church has acknowledged the eternal Covenant between G-d 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.’”
There is more work to be done by both Jews and Roman Catholics, including education about our distinct beliefs and practices, especially for Jewish and Catholic clergy and religious educators, better knowledge of the Jewish context of the New Testament, attention to textbooks and liturgies, and shared work in promoting peace
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Kullock says events like this seder is part of what makes Nashville a more unified city. “It is a multi-cultural society in which we all come together. And at the same time, we celebrate both what unites us and also our differences. Together we all build this multi-colored mosaic that makes the wonderful city we want to create.”
And Spalding says he is looking forward to learning with the Jewish people.
The seder is scheduled to take place on Thursday, March 26th at 6pm at the Gordon Jewish Community Center. Registration is required. Visit https://www.jewishnashville.or...
