Thank you for your kind concern, support for the Jewish people. It is especially welcome today given the turn towards (paganism?) in much of Europe in particular. Some Jews are yet cautious or even fearful of Christians professing friendship, dating from the tragic European experience of but 50 or 60 years ago. I hope you will understand and not be upset by any negative reactions from those who have not started to overcome the hurt. But at the same time you will find many Jews who are open, to various degrees, to good Christian friends. And some Jews are reaching out to build good, positive, solid bonds of sincere friendship with our Christian “brothers in faith,” as Pope JP2 liked to say it.
Within the Christian tradition there is, of course, a solid bedrock of Judaism—including the Hebrew Bible(Tanach) and some clear teachings in the Apostolic (Christian) scriptures that respect Christianity’s home in Judaism… such as when Jesus taught his (fellow Jews) followers to do as the Jewish priests taught because they sit in the seat of Moses (even if they did not always practice what they preached)… and where Paul taught those of his followers who were not Jewish to respect and live in harmony with the Jewish people (and their particular traditions or customs) because G-d loves the Jewish people and in the Lord’s due time… all Israel will be saved (Romans 11). It is largely these teachings from the Christian scriptures that gives the Roman Catholic Church (among several Christian denominiations today) the clear religious authority from within their tradition to reach out in friendship to the Jewish People. As the RCC now teaches, the Jewish people are in a continuing “salvaic” covenential relationship with G-d precisely as Jewish people, with no need to convert to Christianity. The new Pope, who helped the RCC develop these teachings in his previous Vatican position as its “chief theologian,” has since his elevation to the Papacy reinforced these favorable, brotherly teachings regarding the Jewish People, as he expressed at his visit to the Jewish synagogue in his native German community. In Jewish tradition, Moses Maimonides (esteemed as perhaps the greatest Jewish theologian of the past 1000 years) recognized that Christianity is a positive force in the world in that it is helping prepare the world to worship G-d with one accord… he was able to say this and other positive things even while faced with supercessionist claims (which of course he disputed - and which the RCC and some other Christian denominations have since disclaimed as invalid). We are human beings and thus we tend to concentrate on our differences. People do this all over the world. We are not wrong to stand firm in what we believe, after all we are all seeking to be effective “witnesses” for the Lord. But despite our doctrinal differences we can surely work together in harmony and mutual respect in so very many ways ... and frankly the Jewish People can use your friendship—and that of all good Christians and others of good faith and intention. So, THANK YOU for your kind words. I hope many other Jewish poeple will also reach out and thank you for your expression of friendship, and that you can meet with local Jews of like mind and find ways of working together - in mutual respect—to help hasten the day when all mankind will live in peace and recognize His sovereignty (and love).
