Courtesy, Confrontation, Cooperation: Jewish-Christian/Catholic Relations in the United States

Introduction

One of my early experiences in Jewish-Christian relations was an exciting venture in Arizona in the 1970s when I served as executive director of a cluster of five Protestant churches, one Catholic church and two synagogues (one Conservative and one Reform), known as the North Phoenix Corporate Ministry. My task was coordinating the interfaith activities of twenty-five priests, ministers and rabbis, and involved lay people from the seven congregations. We developed programs in education, social justice, liturgy and communications and became a model for ecumenical/interfaith groups in the West. We grew in remarkable relationships—many of which continue to this day. I preached my first sermon in a synagogue in 1970—and was known as either “the Temple nun” or “the synagogue Sister” depending on whether I was in the Reform or the Conservative Jewish congregation.

Weekly, with very few exceptions, we had wonderful wild clergy luncheons! They consisted of prayer, kosher food, business, theological discussion and a lot of laughter. On one occasion, Rabbi Albert Plotkin announced to the group: “If Jesus came to Phoenix, Arizona, he would not go to any of your churches! He would come to my synagogue! He was a good Reform rabbi!” After a hearty laugh—we all agreed with him. Prior to Vatican II most Christians would have been taken aback by such a statement.

What is the American experience of Jewish-Catholic relations? It is only a slice of the larger picture of Jewish-Christian relations in the United States, therefore some consideration of Protestant-Jewish relations is required for context. In this essay I will (1) briefly sketch a tapestry background of Jewish-Christian relations in the United States to Vatican II; (2) discuss the Second Vatican Council and the significant relationship of Catholics and Jews as it has evolved in the United States to 1995; and (3) reflect on how Jewish-Catholic relations in three areas—academia, religious institutional structures, and “grass roots” experiences—have allowed the United States to make unique contributions to the dialogue.

A Sketch of Jewish-Christian Relations in the U.S to Vatican II

The Early Immigration, 1654–1820

Jewish-Christian relations in the United States are unique in the world. The United States evolved from a Protestant vision of Pilgrims in 1620 and the Puritans in 1630 who believed they were destined to be “God’s New Israel.” Catholics arrived in the English colonies as a group when their founders reached the shores of Maryland in 1634. Jews disembarked in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in 1654 and were not welcomed by the Dutch. From the outset it was clear that Catholics and Jews were distinct minorities in a Protestant culture.

At the time of the American Revolution there were only about 3,000 Jews and approximately 30,000 Catholics in a population of 3,000,000 Protestants.¹ Although meager in numbers, both Catholics and Jews fought in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 and also held some positions of moderate importance in the U.S. government.

German and Irish Immigration, 1820–1880

The predominantly Irish and German immigrants who arrived in the United States in the period 1820–1880 consisted largely of those who were seeking opportunities in the New World which were closed off to them in the old. Jews who had received citizenship and other rights as a result of emancipation in 1791 during the French Revolution found themselves suffering reaction when kings and queens and the pope were restored to their thrones in 1815 and efforts were made to return to the old order. For example, to control the number of Jews in Bavarian towns, a law was passed to limit the number of Jews who could contract legal marriages. This inspired a mass emigration to America in 1836. In the years 1846–1851 over a million people left Ireland due largely to the potato feminine, the majority coming to the United States.² According to James O’Toole, almost 800,000 Irish and more than 400,000 Germans, including a substantial...