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National Jewish-Christian Dialogue

The National Jewish-Christian Dialogue began decades ago.  Convened by the National Council of Churches and various partners along the way, earlier iterations of the dialogue included participants from various Christian churches and Jewish organizations, and they focused on various issues important to the time and place in which they took place.  The latter included a second conversation dedicated specifically to issues related to Israel and Palestine.

Dialogue participants, December 2023

The current dialogue, convened by the National Council of Churches and the National Council of Synagogues, focuses on pastoral issues that impact both of our communities.  These include racism and anti-Semitism, and our communities’ efforts to confront them.  Participants of the dialogue come from the NCC member churches and other churches, as well as NCS-affiliated organizations and other Jewish groups.  This current dialogue began in the early 2010s.

 

A team of co-conveners representing both organizations designs the agendas and programs for the dialogue.  Current co-conveners include Rabbi Leonard Gordon, Rabbi David Straus, Rabbi Allyson Zacharoff, and Rabbi Wayne Franklin from the National Council of Synagogues, and Rev. Mark Pettis, Rev. Dr. Donnie Anderson, and Dr. Tony Kireopoulos from the National Council of Churches.  Motivating the dialogue is the desire to continually grow in friendship, and to foster better relationships between our communities.