Encounters with Neighbors on The Eve of The Millennium
By RONALD KRONISH
A few weeks ago, I attended an interreligious assembly at the Vatican,
which was convened by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue and the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, led by H.E. Cardinal Francis Arinze and H.E. Cardinal Roger Etchegary, respectively. Entitled "On the Eve of the Millennium: Collaboration Between the Different Religions," it was a remarkable gathering of over 200 religious leaders from around the world, representing more than 20 world religions. There were about 10
Jews. I was the only one from Israel. The others were from the US,
England, France, and Brazil.
I had some amazing experiences at this conference. On the way up to my
room in Domus Sanctae Marthae, the official guest house of the Vatican inside the Vatican, on the first day, I met a Christian clergyman from Lebanon and said
"Hi, neighbor." He responded by saying that he hoped that I could visit
him soon in Beirut and that he hoped that Barak is serious about doing his part to bringing an end to the war in Lebanon. (This was before the new initiative of peace talks between Israel and Syria was announced.)
The next day at breakfast, I sat next to a bishop from Syria, who invited me to Damascus and expressed the hope that there would soon be a peace agreement between Israel and Syria. I responded by saying "inshallah," which is Arabic for "God willing" or as we say in Hebrew, "b'ezrat hashem."
On the second and third days of the conference I moderated a discussion
group, which included people from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, India, Japan,
England, the US, Korea, and probably a few other places. It was
fascinating. We talked a lot about the positive role that religion and
religious leaders could play in helping to promote peace between peoples
and people. The spirit was congenial and the discussions were
enlightening, There were no confrontations; only genuine dialogue and
real listening to one another. It was truly amazing.
On the final day of the conference, one of the people from my discussion
group, who was from a neighboring Arab country, came up to me at the
coffee break and said, "You know, this was the first time in my life
that I have ever met or talked with a Jew, let alone a rabbi. We have a
lot to talk about, including some painful issues." I responded by saying
how much I enjoyed having her as a participant in my dialogue group and
how much I appreciated her telling me this. I agreed that we have a lot to talk
about and that I was glad that we were able to begin talking. I am planning to go to Jordan soon and I hope that when I am there that we will be able to continue our conversation.
On the last day of the conference, there was a beautiful ceremony in St.
Peter's Square in the presence of the pope, who also addressed the
assembly as well as thousands of local people who gathered for this special
occasion. It was a beautiful sight, especially when we all lit candles for
peace. The pope, who looked and sounded quite weak, nevertheless gave a
remarkable speech, in which he called for increased interreligious
dialogue as a way to heal old wounds and move forward toward peace
among peoples on the eve of the new millennium.
It was a spiritually uplifting event, one that inspired me to continue my work in promoting peaceful relations between peoples and people in Israel. Now that our political leaders are finally making peace with all of our Arab neighbors, including and especially the Palestinian people, it is time for religious leaders and educators to do our part by engaging in peace education to help make the peace a lasting one.
The expected visit of the pope to Israel in a few months can play a constructive role in this process. We in Israel need not be afraid of this, even if it may be a logistical nightmare. Rather, I would argue that we should look forward to this extraordinary opportunity to welcoming Pope John Paul II to Israel at this special moment in our history, the beginning of the era of peace between Israel and her neighbors. We fervently hope that he will come with an urgent spiritual message regarding the need for peace and reconciliation between members of the major faith communities in the Holy Land on this particular juncture in world history.
The writer, a rabbi and educator who has lived in Jerusalem for the past 20 years, is the director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel.
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