THE ABRAHAM J. HESCHEL CENTER FOR CATHOLIC-JEWISH RELATIONS THE JOHN PAUL II CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF LUBLIN

Memory must not turn into a ritual or a “lesson to be checked off,” speakers stressed during the anniversary commemorations at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former German Nazi concentration camp. Survivor Bernard Offen appealed: “Let memory not be a burden. Let it become a light that will guide us in the… Read more… »

During World War II in neutral Switzerland, a small group of Polish diplomats and Jewish activists carried out a coordinated, informal rescue operation. Their goal was to save European Jews from the Holocaust. Operating at the Polish Legation in Bern, this clandestine network—known as the Ładoś Group—produced and distributed… Read more… »

On the occasion of the Day of Judaism in the Catholic Church, a unique exhibition entitled “Płock Judaica” was presented at the seat of the diocesan curia in Płock. Curators from the Masovian Museum in Płock, led by Barbara Rydzewska, brought together valuable artifacts documenting the centuries-long life of… Read more… »

“Your people shall be my people, and your God my God”—the words spoken by Ruth at a moment of uncertainty and choice—became the point of reference for the 29th Day of Judaism in the Archdiocese of Lublin. The gathering at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL)… Read more… »

“United in the Same Blessing” is the theme of the 37th Day of Dialogue between Catholics and Jews, celebrated in Italy on 17 January. The annual initiative, promoted by the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) and the Assembly of Italian Rabbis, aims to foster mutual understanding and respect, to rediscover… Read more… »

Memory of the Jewish presence in Poland, remembrance of the Holocaust, and an encounter between two religions in shared prayer. The city of Płock is hosting the celebrations of the 29th Day of Judaism in the Catholic Church in Poland.… Read more… »

The First and Second Books of Maccabees recount how the Greeks wanted to impose their polytheistic religion in Israel. If they had succeeded, the light of faith in the One God would have been extinguished there. Thanks to the uprising of the Maccabees, the desecrated Temple in Jerusalem was… Read more… »

The sixth-grade students of the School and Kindergarten Complex named after St. John Paul II in Raków visited the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Warsaw congregation of the Evangelical Reformed Church, accompanied by their guardians: historian Grzegorz Szewczyk, Rev. Paweł Surowiec, and Beata Rejnowicz.… Read more… »

At the Adriano Cinema, at Piazza Cavour, a screening was held of the documentary film “I Save a Human Being. People of the Church in the Face of the Extermination.” This is the third production of the Opoka Foundation under the Polish Bishops’ Conference, created within the project “Polish… Read more… »

Study visit to Rome – a meeting of cultures, religions, and history A unique study visit to the Eternal City, attended by representatives of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin and the winner of the “Lubelszczyzna – dialogue of cultures, religions, and hearts” competition, became a space… Read more… »

On the 86th anniversary of Hans Frank's announcement of the obligation for Jews to wear armbands with the Star of David, Yad Vashem published a post that omitted the context of the German occupation of Poland. Representatives of the Polish authorities and memorial institutions reacted to the false information provided… Read more… »

Participants from numerous countries and various religious traditions gathered at the international symposium "Nostra Aetate: 60 Years Later" held at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. Cardinal George Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and one of the speakers, emphasized that interreligious dialogue must… Read more… »

Eight decades ago, the world faced the necessity of judging crimes whose scale exceeded the existing categories of law for the first time. On November 20, 1945, the trial of the highest-ranking officials of the German Third Reich began before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. As historians emphasize,… Read more… »

A shared concern for the memory and heritage of local heroes became the focus of this year's Forum of Partners of the “Called by Name” Program. This initiative, which has been running since 2019, honors Poles and commemorates Jews murdered by the Germans during rescue operations. On November 14,… Read more… »

Last Friday, November 14, students from two third-year classes of the W. Broniewski First High School in Świdnik, together with their homeroom teachers, took part in another study trip in the series to the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. The Heschel Center at KUL… Read more… »

Rabbi Joe Charnes from the United States - a theologian and teacher who has been involved for many years in interreligious dialogue between Judaism and Christianity - will be the special guest at the next meeting in the series “Two Pulpits”, this time devoted to the figure of St.… Read more… »

The activities of the Abraham J. Heschel Center for Catholic-Jewish Relations, established three years ago by the Rector of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), Rev. Prof. Mirosław Kalinowski, were presented in the European Parliament during the conference “Antisemitism and the Demonization of Israel on European Campuses.”… Read more… »

Last Friday, November 7th, students of the 21st Secondary School of St. Stanislaus Kostka (known as “Biskupiak”) in Lublin, together with their teachers, took part in the first study trip for youth within a new series of educational visits to the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews… Read more… »

On the night of November 9-10, 1938, an organized pogrom of the Jewish population took place in the Third Reich. Hundreds of people were killed, over a thousand synagogues were burned and destroyed, several thousand Jewish shops were vandalized, and about 30,000 men were sent to concentration camps. These events,… Read more… »

On November 7, 2000, during the First Congress of Christian Culture in Lublin, Chief Rabbi of Rome Elio Toaff was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of Lublin. It was he who welcomed two popes—John Paul II and Benedict XVI—to the Roman synagogue, creating more than just… Read more… »

Today, the State Museum at Majdanek held celebrations marking the 82nd anniversary of Operation Erntefest, attended by representatives of the City of Lublin, the Marshal's Office, the Association of Former Concentration Camp Prisoners, representatives of the Jewish Community, a delegation from the Institute of National Remembrance, Rabbi Małgorzata Kordowicz,… Read more… »

In the weeks leading up to the November celebrations of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, Catholics spend time tidying and decorating the graves of their loved ones, as well as praying at their resting places. This custom is not practiced in the Jewish tradition. S. Eliana Kuryło… Read more… »

It is the world's first compendium that gathers all Vatican documents on relations with Judaism in one place. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council document Nostra Aetate, a new scholarly publication has been released: “The Catholic Church and the Jews and Judaism: Documents… Read more… »

“Dialogue is not a compromise of faith, but an act of faith. It is not weakness, but a testimony of courage and trust in God,” said Abraham Joshua Heschel after the Church announced Nostra aetate, a groundbreaking document in the Church's relationship with Judaism. Heschel himself, an eminent philosopher… Read more… »