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Editorial
The Editors

After 3000 years since Jerusalem became David's city, it is still as vital as ever, both religiously and politically.
For those who believe the Bible to be God's living word, Jerusalem is the place par excellence of God's meeting with human beings. For Jews it is the place of the Lord's abiding presence and the object of the eternal promises. For Christians it is the place where Jesus lived, died and rose and from where the gospel was spread to the nations. For Muslims it is the place from which the prophet Muhammed ascended to heaven to receive Allah's instructions. It is a concrete sign that God is at work in human history.
For Jews and Christians Jerusalem is also the symbol of God's unshakeable fidelity which keeps alive hope in the future of humanity. Jews express this in their prayer and daily life. It is the earthly geographical city that is their focus. Already in the New Testament Jerusalem is the name of the glorious city, symbol of the final redemption which Christians await in faith. For them the heavenly city is the focus of their prayer and liturgy.
The striving after peace in the Middle East and recent achievements (which have seemed almost miraculous) have given joy to very many peoples, for of all the bloody conflicts of our time, it is this one that touches the whole world most closely. The hope flourishes that the love for the holy city of Jerusalem - of Jews, Palestinians, Christians and Muslims - will prove stronger than the fears and hostility that make Jerusalem a place of conflict and violence, and that peace will break out even there.
"...for Jerusalem's sake 1 will not be quiet
until her righteousness shines forth like sunrise and her deliverance like a blazing torch." (Is.62:1-3)
The words of the Bible affirm Jerusalem: a Prophecy of Peace. The articles in this issue of Sidic explore the meaning of this phrase which might be called an article of faith. Three of them are written by people living in Jerusalem: Yehezkel Landau, a religious educator, founder of a peace movment, a fervent Jew and one who loves his neighbour, is realistic yet hopeful. Ron Kronish, Director of ICCI, describes the movements towards peace, the underlying tensions and the development of interfaith dialogue in Israel. Donna Purdy, is a Christian, a member of a religious community serving Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem for 140 years. She describes what it means for a Christian to live in Jerusalem and how different communities receive from each other.
Writing from outside the land of Israel but speaking in Jerusalem, Maulana Wahiddin Kahn describes the significance of Jerusalem for Muslims. Addressing the present situation he proposes to us the practice of Muhammad in resolving conflict. Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, speaking at the same conference in Jerusalem, witnesses to the Christian esteem for this holy city and the exigency of peace. Stefano Levi Della Torre, with a profound knowedge of Jewish tradition, describes the disconcerting character of this city which is both sublime and tragic. His reflection reveals the challenge of t'shuvah that comes forth from Jerusalem, which would make it a unifying force, a place of dialogue in holiness. Pierre Federlé describes the significance of Jerusalem for the New Testament writers.
We are pleased to publish here the article by Remi Hoeckman of the Pontifical Council for Religious Relations with Judaism on "Jews and Christians in the European Project". Rosemarie Wesolowski's article on Bernard Lichtenberg puts the addresss of Pope John Paul II to the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the reply of Director Ignatz Bubis, (which are also published here), in context.
May this double number of SIDIC help readers to understand better the importance and the complexity of this city, about which Abraham Joshua Heschel writes:
Jerusalem is not the first among cities. She is the first among visions. Jerusalem ...Her excellence is in her being an event in the form of a city, the unfolding of the story concerning God and humanity.