Center for Catholic-Jewish Relations Abraham J. Heschel is a scientific and educational unit of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. Brought to life by Fr. prof. Ph.D. Mirosław Kalinowski, rector of the Catholic University of Lublin, the Center officially began its operations on October 17, 2022.
The mission of the Center is to build Catholic-Jewish relations in the fields of science, education and culture in an international dimension.
Pillars: Common Bible – Common Past – Common Future.
The pillars on which the Center's activities are based refer to common biblical roots, to the shared history of both communities, as well as to the need to shape a future based on dialogue and openness to multiculturalism.
Patron: Abraham J. Heschel
The patron of the Center is Rabbi Professor Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972), an outstanding theologian, philosopher, rabbi and poet. He played a particularly important role during the Second Vatican Council, influencing the shape of the document Nostra Aetate, which is a turning point in Catholic-Jewish relations.
Directions of action: Science – Education – Culture
The three directions of the Center's activities: science, education and culture open up the possibility of reliably addressing a wide range of issues. The environment of the Catholic University of Lublin provides not only professional scientific staff, but also the opportunity to engage young people, which is crucial in the project. The project combines research work, commemoration of the past, education and involvement of young people, as well as shaping social awareness through modern media in a global dimension.
The Center's research activities focus on issues of Jewish history, culture and heritage primarily in Poland, but also in Europe, Israel and the world. The subject of research will be the mutual relations of the Jewish and Catholic communities and their coexistence over the centuries. This is intended to comprehensively address the issue of mutual Polish-Jewish relations and common cultural heritage. The tasks of the Center include, among others:
research,
documentation and archival research,
creation of databases,
preparation of publications of research works, source publications, lexicons, popularization publications and others,
compiling biographies of people and families who selflessly saved people of other nationalities during the totalitarianism of the 20th century,
organizing scientific conferences, forums, meetings and discussions on selected research issues.
Educational activities are aimed at shaping mature civic attitudes, especially among young people; developing interreligious and international dialogue. The assumed forms of activity include, among others:
program of visiting professors and external lecturers as part of classes at the Catholic University of Lublin,
student exchange program between KUL and universities in Israel,
joint projects commemorating the lives and martyrdom of people of Jewish and Polish nationality, involving young people from Poland and Israel,
organizing a seminar for school teachers in Poland,
organizing student internships and professional internships,
learning Hebrew and Yiddish.
An important aspect of the Center's activities is social media education - dissemination of knowledge and shaping social awareness through regular media publications on research results and events related to the Center's activities.
The cultural activities of the Center are intended to bring closer Jewish culture and the interpenetration of Jewish, Polish and European cultures through, among others:
presentations of documentaries and feature films on Jewish and Israeli topics,
meetings with writers and cultural creators, journalists, outstanding historians and researchers in other fields,
organizing exhibitions combined with lectures aimed at showing various aspects of Jewish culture, common history and martyrdom,
co-organization of anniversary ceremonies commemorating the victims of totalitarianism,
cooperation with other institutions and organizations in the care of memorial sites, cemeteries, architectural monuments,
the use of modern media in the presentation of Jewish culture and its connections with Polish and European culture.