Washington National Cathedral

Rabbi David Rosen and the Rev. Dr. James Forbes offered a probing look at the evolution of Jewish-Christian relations against the backdrop of today’s violence in the Middle East. They revisited the often-troubled history of Christian “triumphant” theology and the importance of the Holy Land to both Christian history and Jewish self-understanding. Rabbi Rosen, international director of interreligious relations in Israel for the American Jewish Committee, traced the rocky path that led from a determined mission to convert Jews to Pope John Paul II’s acceptance of Judaism as “the elder brother of the Church.” Forbes, senior minister at the Riverside Church in New York City, asked whether the hyphen in “Jewish-Christian” stands for appropriate distance or inherent closeness.