14.08.2012
Anglican–Jewish Commission Holds Sixth Meeting in Oxford
The Anglican–Jewish Commission of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and office of the Archbishop of Canterbury held their sixth meeting at Mansfield College, Oxford, on July 31 and August 1. The meeting, which was chaired by the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson and Rabbi Dr Rasson Aroussi, addressed the theme of ‘Religion and Democracy’.
The Commission’s mandate provides for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the two Chief Rabbis (from the Ahkenazi and Sephardi communities) to meet each year alternately in England and Jerusalem. It also provides for an annual meeting of a Commission to study agreed themes together and to prepare meetings of the Archbishop and Chief Rabbis in which the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, The Rt Revd Suheil Dawani, also takes part.
The meeting opened with the reading of a message from the Archbishop of Canterbury expressing his appreciation of the important ongoing relationship that the Commission represents and his own warm relationship with the Chief Rabbis of Israel with whom he had met earlier in the year in Jerusalem.
At the opening session the Rt Revd John Pritchard, Bishop of Oxford, welcomed the members of the Commission to Oxford in the context of positive local Jewish Christian relations. The members of the Commission sent their wishes for a full and speedy recovery to Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, Chair of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s Committee for Interreligious Dialogue. The Commission also congratulated the Rt Revd Michael Ipgrave on his appointment as Bishop of Woolwich and Canon Guy Wilkinson (a past Anglican coordinator of the Commission) on his investiture as CBE.
The theme of the Commission’s meeting was ‘Religion and Democracy’ in both traditions. The paper presented by Dr Jane Clements on ‘Anglicanism and the Secular State’ explored the dynamic between the Kingdom of God and the earthly realm in accordance with the method of scripture interpreted in the light of tradition and reason.
Rabbi Dr Rasson Arousi’s presentation explored ‘Democracy in Judaism’s Political Vision’. He compared contemporary democratic values and practices with Judaism’s ideals of governance, participation and accountability of even the highest political authorities to religio–ethical values.
The programme included a visit to the Bodleian Library and a fascinating survey of Medieval Jewish Oxford. Rabbi Prof Avraham Steinberg then delivered a highly illuminating lecture on Jewish Medical Ethics at the Oxford Chabad Society attended by local multi faith audience.
The commission discussed various matters of concern, including the recent Private Member’s Motion that related to Israel/Palestine at the Church of England’s General Synod. There was acknowledgement that this had caused much distress within the Jewish community in Britain and also within the Christian community as well as in Israel and beyond. At the same time, appreciation was expressed for the efforts of all those who were engaged on the issue to introduce greater understanding and a wider perspective. The Commission discussed steps that could be taken to address the complexities of the challenges raised. The participants looked forward to their next meeting in 2013.
Following the meeting Archbishop Michael Jackson said: “As time has progressed in the life of the Commission, trust and understanding have also flourished among the participants and contributors. Our method of engagement with one another becomes more and more seminar–like. This facilitates the honest exchange of stated positions and personal theological convictions. This we always do within the discipline and expectation of what those who have appointed us have asked us to do.”
“The area we considered in the sixth meeting was broadly that of religion and the state. For the Jewish and the Anglican parties this proved to be a point of learning as well as a point of sharing ideas and political realities. Of particular interest to the Jewish participants were the different political systems within which the Anglican Communion, in disestablished and post–colonial times, works as it encourages its members to be responsible and engaged citizens. As the Communique shows, hard and honest conversations also fell naturally into this climate of exchange and respect,” he added. The following are members of the Commission: Delegation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Rabbi Dr Rasson Arousi Rabbi Dr David Rosen CBE, KSG Rabbi Prof Abraham Steinberg Rabbi Professor Daniel Sperber Mr Oded Wiener, Director General, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Delegation of the Archbishop of Canterbury The Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson The Rt Revd Dr Michael Ipgrave OBE Mrs Clare Amos Dr Jane Clements The Revd Dr Toby Howarth Secretary for Inter Religious Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury The Revd Rana Youab Khan, Archbishop of Canterbury international Inter–religious Dialogues Assistant