Communique of the Anglican - Jewish dialogue commission Posted On : July 4, 2011 2:26 PM | Posted

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Communique of the Anglican - Jewish dialogue commission

Posted On : July 4, 2011 2:26 PM | Posted By : Webmaster
ACNS: http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/7/4/ACNS4901
Related Categories: ACO - NIFCON

The fifth meeting of the Anglican-Jewish Commission of the office of 
the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel was 
hosted by the latter, with hospitality provided by the American 
Jewish Committee at its Jerusalem premises, Beit Moses, on 14th and 
15th June 2011/Sivan 12-13, 5771.

The Commission's mandate is taken from the provisions of the joint 
declaration of the Archbishop and the Chief Rabbis at Lambeth Palace 
on 6th September 2006 and confirmed at their second meeting in 
Jerusalem on 31st October 2007

At the opening welcomes, joy was expressed at the renewal of the 
meeting of the bilateral Commission which was acknowledged as 
providing both mutual enrichment and much appreciated 
friendship.   On behalf of the Jewish delegation Rabbi David Rosen 
congratulated the Most Reverend Michael Jackson on his appointment as 
Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough.

The Archbishop thanked the hosts and brought greetings from the Most 
Reverend Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury.

The theme of the Commission's meeting was the Psalms and their 
centrality in both Traditions. The Commission noted that arguably no 
part of scripture unites us as does the Book of Psalms, while at the 
same time giving voice to an all-embracing universality.

The Anglican paper presented by Mrs. Clare Amos highlighted the 
dialectic of whether the Psalms should be considered as 'our words to 
God' or 'God's words to us' and reviewed the changing place and role 
of Psalms in Anglican liturgy and life. In response, Chief Rabbi 
Shear Yashuv Cohen examined the place of David as temporal and 
spiritual leader and how this was reflected in specific Psalms.

The papers and the ensuing discussion reflected on the way in which 
Psalms may serve as a calibrating resource to curb human arrogance 
and combat despair. Furthermore, in highlighting the creative 
tensions between the transcendent and the immanent, the Psalms 
demonstrate both the constancy and intimacy of the Divine Presence.

Above all, the participants emphasized how much they were enriched by 
the explorations of scripture and liturgy that they shared. One 
discovery was the parallel liturgical uses of verses from the Psalms, 
which provided deeper insights into the nature and possibilities of 
the text. For example, in the invitation to prayer we both use: "Open 
Thou our lips and our mouths shall tell Thy praise" (Psalm 51). The 
cyclical use of Psalms as the bedrock of liturgical tradition was 
also noted, whether focused on the individual or on the community.

The programme included a visit to the Shrine of the Book and the 
Judaica exhibition at the Israel Museum, where the Commission was 
received by the Director of the Museum Mr. James Snyder, and by the 
curator of the Shrine of the Book Dr. Adolfo Roitman and their 
colleagues. This visit served to highlight the shared scriptural 
patrimony and its relation with Jewish tradition and life.

Both delegations updated one another on their respective inter faith 
activities and initiatives, and discussed matters of common concern. 
The participants anticipated with enthusiasm the next meeting in 2012.

The Commission warmly commends this approach to local inter-faith groups.

The Most Revd Michael Jackson. Emeritus Chief Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen

> The following are members of the Commission:

Delegation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel

Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, Emeritus Chief Rabbi of Haifa
Rabbi Professor Daniel Sperber, Bar Ilan University
Rabbi David Brodman, Chief Rabbi of Savyon
Rabbi David Rosen CBE, KSG, American Jewish Committee
Mr Oded Wiener, Director General, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel

Delegation of the Archbishop of Canterbury

The Most Revd Michael Jackson, Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough
The Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani, Bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East
Mrs. Clare Amos, Director of Theological Studies, Anglican Communion
Dr. Jane Clements, Consultant in Christian-Jewish Relations
The Ven Dr Michael Ipgrave OBE, Archdeacon of Southwark
The Rev. Dr. Toby Howarth Secretary for Inter Religious Affairs to 
the Archbishop of Canterbury

>