“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 the Jewish roots of the Christian faith, and to highlight shared spiritual bonds—especially in the wake of the Second Vatican Council and the declaration Nostra Aetate.
“It is wonderful to remind ourselves, especially in these times, that as Christians and as Jews, we are embraced by the same blessing. The paths are different, but they are rooted in the same blessing,” the Italian bishops write in their message commenting on this year’s chosen biblical theme.
Learning Together: A Shared Educational Project
The celebrations of the Day of Dialogue also provide an opportunity to express satisfaction that CEI and UCEI (the Union of Italian Jewish Communities) have jointly developed an educational handbook intended for young students and for all those who wish to deepen their mutual understanding of the two faiths. As CEI emphasizes in its message for 17 January, the initiative is entitled “Allies of the Same Covenant.”
Learning Cards on Judaism and Traditional Foods
The “Learning Cards on Judaism” present, in simple and accessible language, some basic elements of the Jewish religion—from the distinction between the Written and Oral Torah, through the Jewish calendar, the figure of the rabbi and the role of women, to the concepts of justice and mercy, and even humor.
The handbook also includes a section devoted to the table, explaining—also to the youngest readers—the rules and significance of kosher cuisine. It introduces festive foods such as challah, the special bread prepared for Shabbat, bitter herbs for Passover, and Purim sweets.
An Antidote to Antisemitism
The primary goal of the initiative is to instill in society, beginning with the youngest generations, a kind of “antidote” to all forms of antisemitism.
For the President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, this is a commitment that is “valuable both as a working method and in terms of content.” As he stresses, the materials “are not important only for schools, but for everyone, because they help us combat widespread ignorance and learn the meanings and many elements of our feasts.”
Correcting Prejudices and False Narratives
The President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, Noemi Di Segni, notes that “through this project, the aim was to fill gaps and clarify certain concepts in order to counter antisemitism.”
Praise for the initiative has also come from Italy’s Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara. “We must all commit ourselves so that—regardless of context—the demon of antisemitism never returns,” he said. “Eighty years after Auschwitz, we cannot allow the terrible phenomena that marked Europe’s history to re-emerge.” According to the Minister, “we must start with students, so that prejudices and false narratives about Jewish culture and the role it has played in our history do not take root.”
_____________
Heschel Center News / Manuela Tulli