Christians & Jews―Faith to Faith: Tragic History, Promising Present, Fragile Future

by Rabbi James Rudin

For two thousand years, Christians and Jews have coexisted in an uneasy state of tension, mutual

suspicion, and often hatred and violence. But in recent

years, courageous Christian and Jewish leaders have

together confronted the past with laserlike intensity and

commenced the urgent task of building bridges of

solidarity, mutual knowledge and respect.

This extraordinary effort, coming after two millennia

that were frequently filled with intolerance and

distrust, reverses a tragic history and creates a new and

constructive relationship between Christians and Jews.

But it has not been easy. How did this happen? How

was it possible to begin the process of overcoming

centuries of stereotypes, caricatures and bigotry? And

does the development of constructive Christian-Jewish

relations, albeit still fragile, offer a successful model to

resolve other intergroup conflicts?

This probing examination of Christian-Jewish

relations looks at the major issues facing both faith

traditions to guarantee that the recent hard-earned

gains and achievements will not be lost or weakened in

the difficult years ahead.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010