Special Edition "Seelisberg@75", No.9

Source: ICCJ, Martin Buber House, Heppenheim, July 18, 2022

75th Anniversary of the Seelisberg Conference

Martin Buber House, Heppenheim, July 18, 2022

When the Seelisberg Conference that is known largely for its “Ten Theses” and for the founding of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ), took place from July 30 through August 5 in 1947, Europe was devastated by WW2 and all its horrific consequences. In this context, Jewish and Christian theologians gathered in the small town in Switzerland for an "International Emergency Conference on Antisemitism". The courage displayed by the participants must inspire us all to pursue our work in particular in these trying times.

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Seelisberg Conference and ICCJ's foundation, special editions of the ICCJ newsletter will be sent out every two weeks till the 5th of August each with a pair of short essays reflecting "Seelisberg".

The reflections have been submitted by a diverse group of authors, including theologians, clergy, academics and dialogue activists representing different regions of the world, religious affiliations, genders and ages. Their diversity mirrors the character of the ICCJ and its member organizations.

SEELISBERG REFLECTIONS, No. 9

• Michael G. Azar (USA):
  "No civilized person would deny those who years ago were taken away from their homes against their will, the right to reli2022-07-19-nathan-emmanuel-seelisberg75-reflection.pdfef and to recuperation and the right to build up their own lives afresh." (Seelisberg conference)
  Michael G. Azar, PhD (USA), is Associate Professor of Theology/Religious Studies at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania (USA) and a deacon in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He currently resides in Jerusalem, where he is writing a book on Orthodox Christian-Jewish relations, with an emphasis on Orthodox Christian hermeneutics and historic presence in the Holy Land.
• Emmanuel Nathan (Australia):
  Points from Down Under - The Future Memories of Seelisberg
  Dr Emmanuel Nathan (Australia) is a senior lecturer in biblical studies and comparative theology at the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, Australian Catholic University in Sydney, he is also the Director of its newly established Research Centre for Studies of the Second Vatican Council, involved with the Australian Council of Christians and Jews, and the Sydney Roman Catholic Archdiocese Commission for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations. Since the beginning of 2020 he has been actively working with Sydney Catholic schools and representatives of the Jewish community to raise awareness on Catholic-Jewish relations and the merits of interreligious learning. Equally interested in theological responses to our ecological crises, he was named in 2020 the inaugural Monsignor Professor Denis Edwards Visiting Scholar to the

A regularly updated ICCJ website offers the collection of the "Seelisberg Reflections", pictures, videos, documents, and more ...

Visit "Seelisberg@75"