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Reactions throughout the world
The Editors

After the Vatican Council, the Church is becoming ever more conscious of its essential relationship with the Jewish people. By means of mass media communications and improved religious instruction at all levels, a growing awareness of the implications of our common heritage is gradually spreading throughout the world; already we discover signs of its presence (or absence) in many countries:

It is a well known fact that during the Council, particularly in the third session, there were irrational reactions to the Vatican document on the relation of the Church towards the Jewish people. The cause of most of these reactions was political, but it found further support in a liturgical and theological background. During the fourth session, few reactions were noticed; after the Council there was almost nothing said about the Declaration. Some persons or groups published their views.

19. The following passages are taken from a commentary on the Declaration, published in JERUSALEM, JORDAN, which caused much comment both in the East and in the West:
"This text is purely religious, without any mixture of political overtones either in its content or in its principles. Nevertheless, certain passages of the text have, in the past, and even very recently, been misinterpreted in order to falsify the meaning, and to use it for ends other than religious. As these interpretations concerned the section on the Jewish religion, the majority of amendments were undertaken in order to correct, to improve, to purify this same section; to remove any ambiguity, any basis for suggestive propaganda, any reference to political problems, any pretext for those who wish to interpret this Declaration falsely, as absolving the Jews from-the blood of Christ, and consequently, as an aid in their struggle against the Arabs of Palestine. Never did the Council wish to descend to such a level....
general, the Jews have denied Christ; they were opposed to Him, to the proclamation of the Gospel. This idea, which was only hinted at in the first text, receives its due development in the amended draft, in conformity with what is written in the Scriptures, and to avoid any •partiality in favour of the Jews....

We know, moreover, that jection" of the Jewish nation, it took part in the death of Christ. of the disciples, and many of the Jewish people. The sole cause of the whole nation to the spreading Apostles....

One last objection: the Declaration refers to the words of St. Paul when he speaks of God's love for the Jews because of their ancestors. But Paul says in the same passage: "As concerning the Gospel, indeed, they are enemies for your sake". Why then, was the passage on enmity suppressed, and that on love retained?

Here is the answer: the hostility of which St. Paul speaks is hostility towards the Gospel only. Their hostilit.7- was the reason for the place given to the pagans in the Church. But, the Declaration had already spoken of this hostility towards the Gospel,and there was no need of repetition.

The Council wishes to encourage love and concord, and to do away with hatred and bitterness. Such an objective should be sustained and strengthened. The problem which we have been asked to confront is too sublime to be abandoned, under pretext of preventing false•propaganda and certain wily allusions. The text of this document itself permits one to reply adequately to such propaganda and to such allusions by adopting firm attitudes and taking calm decisions which will give due honour to their authors.
Proche-Orient Chretien. Fasc.IV, 1965.

20. AUSTRALIA

.At the. Centre for Jewish-Christian understanding in BOX. HILL, Melbourne, several study sessions were held on the section _concerning the :Jews in the Vatican Declaration on ,non-Christian religions. The. Study consisted of a talk on the general meaning of "dialogue", a film, with explanations, on the feast of Passover, a discussion on the bond which unites the people of the New Covenant to the children of Abraham's stock, the Church's rejection of persecution and erroneous catechetical teaching, and finally, a talk on the history of the Declaration with emphasis on the part played by Jules Isaac and Pope John XXIII.

21. In November,. 1965, an open meeting of the B'nai B'rith Lodge was
. held, at which. W.G. SMITH, S.J., of the Institute of. Social Order, Melbourne, was the guest speaker.

Fr.,Smith spoke of the new climate which the Declaration on non-Christian Religions,'especially on•Judaism, is, gradually bringing about. While explaining the pOsitive effect5which'have already been noticed as 'regards catechetics,preaching and attitudes in general, he urged the Jewish people to be very patient, and to realise that time is needed before the full effects of the Church's Declaration will have time to penetrate all levels in the Catholic community.
News Sheet from. The Centre-'-for Jewish-Christian Relations, Melbourne.
First Term, 1966.

22. AUSTRIA.
For some years, the Vienna archdiocese has organised correspondence coursesin Theology for the laity. Those who have completed the two years of study, have an opportunity of returning each year for a "Seminar week". These study sessions. are organised all over Austria and are intended to develop and strengthen the knowledge previously gained.

This year, the seminar was organised in St. Polten from July 24th •o:.30th. The. subject Yes "The Council". Several decrees were discussed, among them the decree on non-Christian religions. There were about twenty participants, quite a number from Germany, most of them active in the pa!.- rishes or in the teaching of religion.
A. W. Vienna. September 1966.

23. SAO PAULO, BRAZIL.
Since the Council there has been an increase in exchanges between the Jewish and Christian communities, and a greater variety of common experiences, suchas.a sharing of culture through joint musical evenings.. The Jewish-Christian Fraternit/ sponsors many activities such as onferences, or panel discussions featuring Jewish,'Protestant and Catholic personalities. An example of one of these activities was the talkgiven by Rev. Luciano PARISE, 0.P., in May, at the monthly meeting of the association. The theme, "Vatican II and Brotherhood", was developed on the basis of the Conciliar texts, and showed the clarity and universality of _the Church's thought particularly in the realm of human solidarity.

"Brotherhood Week" every year is a particularly vital time for contacts, and was the occasion, in 1966, for several conferences during which a Catholic, a Jew and a Protestant shared the platform.. One such conference was on the theme "The Passover - Bond of Brotherhood",•and provided a striking example of the real links which the liturgy provides.
M.V. Brazil.

The following is an example of Jewish comment on John XXIII and the Declaration. BERTHA KOGAN, editor of the review Bresil-Israel, writes:
"We hope that the present Pope, Paul VI's courageous struggle will _continue, and that an international campaign will be launched to rectifY'the 'twisted' image that Christians have of Jews. Many people in the Catholic Church were against 'absolving' the Jews of responsibility for the death of Christ. For this reform we await the help of Paul VI".
Bresil-Israel, 1966.

25. CANADA
In January, 1966, Dr. Eliezer BERK0VITZ, Professor at the Jewish'tniversity of America in Chicago, spoke to the Shaarei Shomayim Congregation in TORONTO. He was widely quoted as saying that the spirit of ecumenism and interfaith understanding is little more than a public relations stunt. "To say that we are no longer the accursed people of God is an insult, not to us, but to God"! Sister M. Noelle, N.D.S., clarified the thought of the Council in a letter to the Montreal Star (Jan.26, 1966) which had published parts, of Dr. Berkovitz's talk.

26. The spiritual leaders of Toronto's three Jewish communities commented on the Council Declaration: Rabbi V. GUNTHER PLAUT of Holy Blossom (Reform) Temple, saw the total text as "a great advance which I greet with profound satisfaction", although "the Church has greviously fallen short of redeeming itself from a great sin".

27. Rabbi STUART ROSENBERG (Conservative): "The testing of the statement will depend on its explicit implementation on the local parish level".

28. On May 4th, 1966, the Beth Tzedec (Conservative) Congregation's eleventh annual Institute of_RD.ligion featured Professors HARVEY COX (Harvard Divinity School and JACOB NEUSNER (Dover College, Hanover, N.H.) in a dialogue on "Jewish-Christian relations in the Secular City". Both stressed the contribution Judaism has made in religion's confrontation with the secular world, and the imiortance of dialogue, especially for Christians, who can learn much from Judaism in this area.

29. At the (Conservative) Rabbinical Assembly of America's annual convention in TORONTO,. Rabbi ABRAHAM HESCHEL showed that JewishChris-tian dialogue must be theological, among the truly learned, with faith as its first requisite, and silence, study and soul-searching as its concomitants. For the second year, Rabbi LEWISH GINSBERG demonstrated the Passover meal for Catholic students in EDMONTON, this time at St. Joseph's Seminary.

30. COSTA-RICA. A cultural centre was started in 1966, organised by a group of Jewish young men, third generation-of the Ashkenazi:Community. The inauguralspeech was delivered by the secretary of the Judeo-Christian Confraternity, a Catholic, as guarantee of future and important Collaboration.
The. Confraternity in.Costa Rica is moving towards the implementation of the.spirit of the Ecumenical Council, along the lines indicated.

ENGLAND
31. In-May, 1966, JOH1T CARMEL Cardinal HEENAN, Archbishop of WESTMINSTER, set up a national commission for the implementation of ,the Declaration of Vatican II on the relationship between the Church and the Jewish people. .Its chairman, Mr. Christopher Hollis, stated that its prime task is to "give Catholics a better understanding of Jews". The commission sponsors lectures and talks, to training schools and universities, and theological discussions in Judaism and Christianity.
Jewish Chronicle- 17.6.66.

32. The following are extracts from a talk given by Mr. Christopher HOLLIS, on November 29, 1966 in London, and sponsored by. the British Section of the World Jewish Congress. The talk was entitled "The Vatican Council and the Jews".

...we cannot fairly deny that there is a wide-spread ignorance of Jewish thinking among Catholics. To remedy the defects of Catholics was the prime business of the Council and certainly the work of the Council will not have been fully accomplished until Catholics have not merely accepted the obligation to treat Jews with courtesy and fairness and charity, but until they have, by dialogue and study, come as far as they can to understand why Jews say what they say, and do what they do. We have all of us Catholics still a long way to go..."

"...Among non-Christian religions it is true that the Jewish religion stands to every Christian in a very special place of honour, since belief in the Jewish religion is itself a part of the Christian faith. The Old Testament, - the Hebrew Scriptures - are a part of your faith as they are a part of ours. It was from you that we learnt our faith in the one God. You, to our belief, as much as to your own, are His Chosen People;.."