wfn.org | Inter-Community Religious Liberty Dialogue in Israel

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

February 12, 1999
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Adventists Co-Sponsor Inter-Community Religious 
Liberty Dialogue in Israel

Jerusalem, Israel. [APD] Seventh-day Adventist leaders 
co-sponsored a meeting on December 16, of various faith 
communities in Israel as part of the Church's 
recognition of the importance of the 50th anniversary 
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Together with the International Religious Liberty 
Association (IRLA), Richard Elofer, leader of the 
Adventist Church in Israel, invited representatives of 
the three major religions in the country to speak on 
religious liberty and human rights from the 
perspective of their respective faith communities.

Professor Nahum Rakover, Israel's deputy attorney 
general, spoke on behalf of the Jewish community; 
Professor Mustafa Abu Sway, lecturer in philosophy at 
Jerusalem's Al-Quds University spoke for the Islamic 
community, and Reverend Charles Kopp, chariman of 
Israel's United Christian Council spoke for the 
Christian community.

"The remarks of the three representatives highlighted 
the conceptual gulf between the major religions 
regarding religious liberty," commented Elofer.

Speaking on behalf of IRLA, Dr. John Graz, secretary 
general, reported on the organization's work around 
the world.

"IRLA is the leading non-governmental agency in the 
world today in the area of providing expert advice to 
legislators drafting religious liberty legislation," 
said Graz. "During this period of rapid legislative 
change in many countries in accordance with the 
shifting political climate, the international 
instruments-such as the UN Declaration-must be the 
constant point of reference."

The UN Declaration anniversary in December marks fifty 
years during which the Declaration has frequently been 
the focus of support for religious liberty.

"It was particularly appropriate that this anniversary 
should have been celebrated in Israel, because it was 
Israel who gave the world the earliest human rights 
legislation," says Elofer. 

"Furthermore, Jewish individuals played a prominent 
part in the formulation of the UDHR fifty years ago.  
Like the State of Israel, the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights was born in the wake of Nazi genocide, 
when the depravity to which a society that ignores 
human rights is capable of sinking was becoming known 
to the world at large." [99/02/01]