Community-wide Gathering to explore together:James Carroll, a former Catholic priest and novelist, is the author of Constantine’s Sword: The Church and The Jews: A History. The book, published in 2001, explores the long history of religious antisemitism within the Catholic Church and its impact on Jewish-Christian relations. Carroll argues that the Church’s long history of “Jew hatred” laid the foundation for the Holocaust committed by Nazi Germany. The book also analyzes the actions of numerous popes and other prominent figures of Catholic Church history, especially those who advocated anti-Jewish policies and those who tried to rein in official antisemitism. Carroll’s work has sparked heated debate and calls for a fundamental rethinking of the deepest questions of Christian faith.
Carroll has been a Shorenstein Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a Fellow at the Center for the Study of Values in Public Life at the Harvard Divinity School, The Richman Visiting Professor at Brandeis University, holder of the McDonald Chair at Emory University, a trustee of the Boston Public Library, a member of the Dean’s Council at the Harvard Divinity School, Distinguished-Scholar-in-Residence at Suffolk University, and Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at The Center for European and Mediterranean Studies at New York University. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Associate of the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard University. Carroll holds honorary degrees from, among others, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Suffolk University, Brandeis University, Lehigh University, and Claremont Graduate University.
Join together with our Emunah community in the fight against antisemitism!
Why Antisemitism Matters to Everyone – watch this brief intro by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l:
As antisemitism continues to rise across the country and the world, Temple Emunah has created an Antisemitism Task Force focusing its efforts on educating our congregation and the greater Lexington interfaith/ethnic community on the issue of antisemitism (Jew hatred) which impacts each and every one of us from our children to our elders, Jew and non-Jew.
In 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which includes the United States, formally adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. This definition states:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Our committee is planning a series of programs for the coming year that will include scholars, activists, and community leaders as well as book and movie discussions. We will learn about antisemitism in its many forms and expressions; we will have opportunities to discuss complex issues and questions and explore community responses and action to combat antisemitism. Our April Glatzer scholar-in-residence weekend will be the culmination of this year of learning with Dr. Rachel Fish.
Our immersion in the study and discussion of antisemitism is situated in the larger context of Tikkun Olam and social justice. Temple Emunah’s dedication to a more just and equitable world is a core component of our community, as well as a basic Jewish value. In Pirkei Avot 1:14, we read, “If I am not for me, who will be for me? And when I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, then when?” Hillel reminds us that attending to ourselves, our safety and well-being also allows us to work on behalf of all.
Antisemitic rhetoric and violence are increasing in the United States and around the world. What are we, as a Jewish community dedicated to social justice going to do about it?
It is important for each of us to educate ourselves about Jew-hatred and our response to it.
We hope you will join us and encourage your participation.
Monday – Thursday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Friday, 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
