We are relaunching the Shared Heritage program as a series of conversations with international experts on Jewish/Christian relations addressed to Polish Christian leaders.

These online conversations will offer a deep dive into Christian/Jewish relations from both historical and contemporary perspectives, as well as personal and practical experiences of our guests. We aim to show Judaism as a vibrant community of faith, looking for ways of being in the modern world. Too often has Christianity ignored the developments in Judaism and the diversity of its theology.

The meetings, hosted by Zuzanna Radzik, a theologian and Forum’s VP, will be conducted in English with simultaneous translation into Polish.

October 12, 7 p.m. Warsaw time
Can a Rabbi be a Woman?: A Conversation with Rabbi Jeffrey Fox

The guest of the upcoming meeting, Rabbi Jeffrey S. Fox is a Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Maharat, who will talk about the daily realities of a yeshiva. Yeshivat Maharat was the first Orthodox yeshiva to start teaching women for leadership roles. These graduates, fluent in Jewish law and theology, use the titles “Maharat” and “Raba” which makes them de facto Rabbis. This is why we will talk more broadly about what is Orthodox Judaism and how flexible it is to accommodate contemporary needs and demands. We shall also ask about the role of the rabbi in the wake of such changes, and the type of religious leadership needed by communities of Orthodox Jews.

Registration link

Facebook Event

November 23, 7 p.m. Warsaw time
Judaism Rethought, or On Modern Rituals: A Conversation with Aliza Kline

Aliza Klien, the co-founder and Director General of OneTable, an organization which involves thousands of young Jews in shared preparation of Shabbat dinners, will be our guest. Before OneTable, Aliza created the Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh & Education Center in Boston, the success of which shows that even  a superficially archaic custom may become a modern practice with a new meaning.

Registration link

Facebook Event

October 28, 7 p.m. Warsaw time
Challenges in Christian/Jewish Relations from a Jewish Perspective: A Conversation with Rabbi David Rosen

The Jewish take on the changes in Christian/Jewish relations over the 20^th and 21^st centuries will be the focus of the talk. Our guest, Rabbi David Rosen, Director of International Interreligious Affairs at the AJC, is involved in relations with the Vatican and global networks of interreligious dialogue. Together, we will examine the achievements and challenges of dialogue.

Registration link

Facebook event

December 14, 7 p.m. Warsaw time
When Christians Like Jews a Bit Too Much, or Philosemitism and Judaization in Contemporary Christianity: A Conversation with David Sandmel

Rabbi David Sandamel, Director of Interreligious Affairs at the ADL, will be Forum’s guest. This time, we will focus on Christians who while reaching to the roots of Christianity in Judaism adopt the rituals of the latter. Our focus is on the ways it affects Jews and how they feel about it.

Registration link

Facebook Event

Rabbi Jeffrey S. Fox

Rabbi Jeffrey S. Fox a Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Maharat was the first graduate of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Upon graduation he served as the Rabbi of Kehilat Kesher: The Community Synagogue of Tenafly and Englewood for seven years. In Rabbi Fox’s tenure at Kesher, the community grew three-fold from thirty families to nearly one hundred. During that time Rabbi Fox also taught at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah as well as the Florence Melton Adult Education School in Bergen County. He also served on the board of the Synagogue Leadership Initiative of the UJA of NNJ. Rabbi Fox is a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute and has also been a member of the faculty of the Drisha Institute, the Florence Melton Adult Education School in Westchester County, and Hadar.

Rabbi David Rosen

Rabbi David Rosen, AJC’s International Director of Interreligious Affairs, has been advancing understanding and good relations between religious communities for more than forty years – from the time he served as rabbi of the largest Orthodox Jewish congregation in South Africa, during his tenure as Chief Rabbi of Ireland; and throughout the last more than thirty years based in Jerusalem. In addition to interreligious representation and education, his work involves mediation and peace building and he is heavily involved in multi-religious engagement on ecological issues. Among the various awards and recognition he has received, Rabbi Rosen was granted a papal Knighthood in 2005 for his contribution to Jewish-Catholic reconciliation and in 2010 he was made a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II for his work promoting interfaith understanding and cooperation.

Rabbi David Fox Sandmel, Ph.D.

Rabbi David Fox Sandmel, Ph.D. is chair of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Relations (www.ijcic.net) , the consortium of Jewish organization that is the official Jewish dialogue partner of the Vatican, the World Council of Churches, and the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox churches.  He has been with ADL (Anti-Defamation League) since 2014 and currently serves as Senior Advisor on Interreligious Affairs.  He held the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago (2002-2014). He was the Jewish Scholar at the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies in Baltimore (1998-2001) where he directed the publication of “Dabru Emet: A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity.”  He lectures and publishes issues in Jewish-Christian relations, Jewish-Muslim relations, and the foundations of Judaism and Christianity in antiquity.  His commentary on First Thessalonians appears in the Jewish Annotated New Testament.

Aliza Kline

Aliza Kline is the President and CEO of OneTable. At a time when many feel isolated and disconnected from Jewish life, OneTable creates new ways to connect with each other, time, and community by linking Jewish wisdom with modern technology. Founded in 2014, OneTable has grown to a national organization that engages tens of thousands Jewish young adults through peer-led Shabbat dinners. Since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, OneTable has expanded to serve the broader community – most recently by launching HereFor.com a platform to enable individuals to find alternative High Holiday celebrations. Also the founding executive director of Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh & Education Center, Aliza has devoted her career to re-imagining Jewish ritual open to the full diversity of the community. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her partner Rabbi Bradley Solmsen and three daughters.

In 2021, the program is co-financed by the Dutch Humanitarian Fund and the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion.