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Dear Friends of the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies:
I hope this newsletter finds you well.
We are very happy to welcome to Saint Leo University the inaugural Maureen and Douglas Cohn Visiting Chair in Jewish Thought and Assistant Director of the CCJS, Rabbi David Maayan.
Below you can find details about our upcoming programs, including the Eternal Light Award event, Why Dialogue Matters, which takes place on Thursday, November 10th. You can also find very good news concerning the funding goals of the CCJS, and an announcement of a well-deserved high honor for the center's co-founder, Rabbi James Rudin.
Respectfully,
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Dr. Matthew Tapie
Associate Professor of Theology
Director, Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies
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Paul and Gail Whiting to Grant Major CCJS Gift
Since 2015, one of the most important funding priorities of the CCJS has been to secure increased administrative and event planning support for center programs.
The CCJS is happy to announce that because of the generosity of Gail and Paul Whiting, this goal is now a reality. The Whitings will grant a total of $150,000 in support of a new full-time position in the center: the CCJS Administrator of Programs and Events.
The Whitings are longtime friends of the CCJS, and well-known for their generous donations to both the CCJS and the Tampa Catholic community.
We want to thank the Whitings for their incredibly generous gift which transforms the center's capacity to administer programs for the community and beyond.
Please share this announcement with those who may be interested in the position and the mission of the CCJS. A job description as well as application details will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Additional Support from Friends in the Community
Over the last two months, the CCJS also received a number of substantial gifts from other friends in the community.
We want to thank Ms. Joyce Karpay, Monsignor Frank Mouch, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg. Their generous gifts enable the CCJS to build understanding and respect among Catholics, Jews, and all people of good will.
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Wednesday, October 19th
CCJS Social Mixer for Students
6 - 7:30pm | Saint Leo University Wellness Center
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Undergraduate and graduate Saint Leo students are invited to a social mixer event that facilitates dialogue between students of different religious backgrounds. Students will learn about the CCJS mission and how to get involved in interreligious dialogue initiatives on campus. The event is co-sponsored by Saint Leo University Ministry. | | |
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Thursday, November 10
Why Dialogue Matters
7 - 9pm | Congregation Schaarai Zedek, Tampa, FL
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Join us for a conversation on why the practice of dialogue is essential for the health of our traditions, institutions, and society.
featuring
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Rabbi David Maayan
Cohn Visiting Chair in Jewish Thought
& Assistant Director of CCJS
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Dr. Matthew Tapie
Associate Professor of Theology
& Director of CCJS
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in conversation with a panel of local leaders | |
Friar Henry Fulmer OFM, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Tampa | |
Rabbi Rachel Blatt, Congregation Kol Ami, Tampa | |
Rabbi Joel Simon, Congregation Schaarai Zedek, Tampa | |
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The program concludes with the presentation of the 18th Eternal Light Award
to Dr. Eugene Fisher for his 50 years of contributions
to Catholic-Jewish relations.
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Dr. Fisher is Distinguished Professor of Theology at Saint Leo University. He served as the specialist in Catholic-Jewish Relations for the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1977 until 2007. In 1981 he was named Consultor to the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, serving in that capacity for 25 years. Dr. Fisher has published or edited 20 books and over 250 articles in the field of Jewish-Christian relations. He will accept the Eternal Light award via livestream from Virginia.
Location: Congregation Schaarai Zedek, 3303 West Swann Ave. Tampa, FL
The evening begins with a 6:30pm hors d'oeuvres reception.
RSVP required. This program is in-person only, free,
and open to the public but space is limited.
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The event is co-sponsored by Congregation Kol Ami, Congregation Schaarai Zedek, Tampa Jewish Community Centers & Federation, the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church. | |
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Sunday, November 20th
Rabbi A. James Rudin to be honored with Papal Knighthood
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For only the third time in history, a Pope is honoring an American rabbi with the Papal Knighthood of St. Gregory the Great.
Pope Francis will recognize Rabbi A. James Rudin (D.D. 2000), Senior Interreligious Advisor of the American Jewish Committee, Distinguished Professor of Religion and Judaica at Saint Leo University, and co-founder of the University's Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies, with a Papal Knighthood for his decades of work in building positive Catholic-Jewish relations throughout the world.
The title of Papal Knight of St. Gregory the Great is bestowed upon individuals, both Catholics and non-Catholics, who have made significant contributions to society. The Order of St. Gregory the Great was begun by Pope Gregory XVI (1745-1846) in 1831, and named in honor of St. Gregory the Great, who died in 604, and whose writings greatly influenced the Church.
His Eminence, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, will represent Pope Francis in a special investiture ceremony to induct Rabbi Rudin into the Pontifical Order.
The ceremony, which is open to the public, will take place on Sunday, November 20th, on the campus of Saint Leo University. The ceremony will include comments from both Cardinal O'Malley and Rabbi Rudin. The time of the ceremony and RSVP information will be announced in the coming weeks.
The CCJS congratulates Rabbi Rudin on this well-deserved, high honor from the Holy Father Pope Francis.
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Thursday, February 9th
Understanding Jesus & Paul means Understanding Judaism
A Clergy Study Day
10:00am - 2:30pm | In-person at Bethany Center, Lutz FL
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Clergy of the Diocese of St. Petersburg are invited to a workshop co-organized by the CCJS and the Priestly Growth and Enrichment Commission of the Diocese of St. Petersburg on how to interpret references to the Pharisees in the New Testament. The workshop is led by Dr. Joseph Sievers and Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, the co-editors of the book, The Pharisees (2021).
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Dr. Joseph Sievers is professor emeritus of Jewish history and literature of the Hellenistic period at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome. Dr. Sievers is author of many publications in the areas of Second Temple Judaism and Jewish-Christian relations, and co-editor of The Catholic Church and the Jewish People: Recent Reflections from Rome (2007); and Christ Jesus and the Jewish People Today: New Explorations of Theological Interrelationships (2011). Since 2008, he has served as a consultor to the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. | |
Dr. Amy Jill Levine is the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, and University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt. Dr. Levine's numerous publications include The Difficult Words of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to His Most Perplexing Teachings (2021); and The Jewish Annotated New Testament (2017), co-edited with Marc Brettler. Dr. Levine is the first Jewish scholar to have taught New Testament at Rome's Pontifical Biblical Institute. | |
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Recent News and Activities
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Welcome Reception for Rabbi David Maayan, the Maureen and Douglas Cohn Visiting Chair in Jewish Thought | |
On Aug. 31st, the CCJS hosted an open house in its new office in St. Francis Hall to welcome Rabbi David Maayan, the center's inaugural Maureen and Douglas Cohn Visiting Chair in Jewish Thought and Assistant Director of CCJS. Saint Leo faculty, students, and staff, as well as members of the community, gathered in the CCJS to welcome Rabbi Maayan. | |
Interfaith Fellow Selected | | |
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Each academic year, the CCJS selects a Saint Leo student to serve as an interfaith fellow. The fellowships allow students with an interest in interreligious dialogue to connect with the CCJS, and conduct research for the CCJS's Interreligious Study and Dialogue Project. This year, the interfaith fellow is senior Criminal Justice major, Gannon Key. Interfaith fellows receive a partial tuition scholarship. The program is made possible by the generosity of the Cohn and Whiting families. Saint Leo graduate or undergraduate students interested in applying can contact matthew.tapie@saintleo.edu. | |
CCJS National Advisory Board Holds Summer and Fall Meetings | |
On June 24th and September 1st, the CCJS National Advisory Board gathered at the Saint Leo University Tampa Education Center in South Tampa to discuss CCJS activities, programs, and goals. The aim of the board is to connect the CCJS to local and national leaders, and share feedback about community needs. The board identified new opportunities and partners for the CCJS. It was a great chance to meet in-person to discuss the future.
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Recordings of Spring 2022 Programs Now Available
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Recordings of CCJS public programs from last spring, featuring William Cavanaugh, Shai Held, Beverly Mitchell, Amy Jill-Levine, and Bishop Gregory Parkes, are now available on the CCJS YouTube Channel.
You can watch the recordings here.
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Rabbi David Maayan represents CCJR at International Meeting | |
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In July, Rabbi Maayan traveled to Frankfurt, Germany to attend the annual meeting of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ). The ICCJ serves as the umbrella organization of 40 national Jewish-Christian dialogue organizations world-wide. Rabbi Maayan attended as a representative of the Council for Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR), which is an association of centers and institutes in the United States and Canada devoted to enhancing mutual understanding between Jews and Christians. The CCJS is a member organization of CCJR. The topics discussed included the cultural and political context of Jewish-Christian dialogue in different countries.
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CCJS Director attends USCCB Modern Orthodox Religious Dialogue | |
In July, Dr. Tapie traveled to New York for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' dialogue with Modern Orthodox Judaism. The meeting focused on the topic of authority in Catholicism and Judaism, and took place at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan. Dr. Tapie has participated in the dialogue since 2019. | |
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CCJS Director speaks on Nostra Aetate Conference
Earlier this month, CCJS Director Matthew Tapie gave a talk on the history and significance of Nostra Aetate at a conference entitled, Sacred Threads: The Complex Tapestry of Interfaith Relations at Queen’s University in Charlotte, NC. Speakers included Dr. Malka Simkovich, Dr. Peter Ochs, Dr. Hadia Mubarak, and Dr. Adrian Bird. The panel was moderated by Dr. Alesandro Rovati, of Belmont University.
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Dr. Tapie on Sabbatical in the Spring of 2023
Dr. Tapie will be on sabbatical in the spring of 2023. During the sabbatical, he will speak at a conference on Developments in Catholic-Orthodox Jewish Relations at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, in Rome.
While in Rome, Dr. Tapie will also conduct research in the Vatican Apostolic Archives for a book he is writing on the use of St. Thomas Aquinas's teaching in the controversy surrounding the Mortara Affair in 1858.
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For nearly 25 years, the CCJS has worked to build bridges of mutual understanding and respect between Catholics and Jews, and all people of good will.
Your gift helps us advance scholarship in Catholic-Jewish studies, and provides interreligious education to thousands of students, religious leaders, and members of the public.
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Dr. Victoria Barnett of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, delivers a lecture on Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant responses during the Holocaust, at Christ the King Catholic Church, Tampa. Nov. 9th, 2017. | |
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