Category Archives: Events

10th Annual Dinner & Dialogue

On October 8, our Tenth Annual Dinner and Dialogue at the Doubletree Hotel was a milestone celebration. Our hardworking committees arranged a panel of guests worthy of this occasion. Beth Byer, who did a phenomenal job as chairperson two years running, chaired the dinner once again, and Martin Nussbaum served as moderator.

Fourth Biennial Conference of Jesuits and Jews at Fordham University in New York City

On July 25-29, Dr. Hirsch lectured about the origins, development and work of the CCJD at the Fourth Biennial Conference of Jesuits and Jews at Fordham University in New York City. Dr. Hirsch writes, “After showing the DVD, I was inundated with questions about what we do and how we do it. I also read lengthy passages of the latest edition of my ‘Passover Celebration for Christians’ and lively discussion followed.” Dr. Hirsch has now been invited to join the group.

Board of Directors/ Advisors meeting

On June 28, the Board of Directors and the Board of Advisers of the CCJD met at the Colorado School of Professional Psychology in Colorado Springs. We thank our colleague Dr. Alison Walls, director of Clinical Services at the school, for hosting the meeting. Several new directors were elected to the Board, and we received a report on the progress of the 10th-anniversary dinner dialogue committee, chaired by Beth Byer. Nominations for the annual “Dove of Peace” award were considered.

Public Interfaith Dialogues

In the spring, three public interfaith dialogues took place before crowded and enthusiastic audiences. Each event received coverage in the local and religious media. Dr. Hirsch writes, “I can’t begin to tell you how inspiring these meetings were and how energized we all felt.”

  • March 18 – St. Paul’s Catholic Church: Bishop Richard Hanifen, Arshad Yusoufi and Dr. Howard Hirsch
  • March 27 – Theology on Tap (Young Catholics): Bishop Hanifen, Arshad Yusoufi and Dr. Hirsch
  • April 15 – St. Peter’s Church Youth, Monument: Bishop Hanifen and Dr. Hirsch

9th Annual Dinner & Dialogue

The 2006 Dove of Peace Award was presented to L. Martin Nussbaum and A. Marvin Strait.  The C. Gary Mammel Memorial Award was presented to Paige Evans and Roxann R. Johnson.

Dialoguing on the topic of “Interfaith Relationships in the Military as a Model for Civilian Life” were:

Rev. Rear Admiral Louis V. Iasiello, Former Chief of Navy Chaplain and President of The Washington Theological Union.  Rev. Iasiello, OFM, was ordained to the priesthood in 1978. He was the Wartime Community Leader for the United States Navy Chaplain Corps in an era of radical military transformation. Responsible for all religious programming within the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, he led more than 860 active duty and 400 reserve ministers, priests, imams and rabbis from more than 200 denominations and faith groups.
Rear Admiral Iasiello is a highly decorated chaplain and a former Navy Chief of Chaplains. He holds the Distinguished Service Medal and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. He is a 10-year elected member of the Archbishop of the Military Service Presbyteral Council representing more than 175 Roman Catholic priests of the Military Archdiocese. Rear Admiral Iasiello holds three masters degrees and a PhD from Salve Regina University. In May, he was unanimously selected by the Board of Trustees of The Washington Theological Union to be its fifth president.

Chaplain Charles W. Marvin, The National Association of Evangelicals.Captain Marvin is a Chaplain in the United States Navy and serves as Director of the Chaplaincy Department and Ecclesiastical Endorsing Agent for the Assemblies of God.  The holder of a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, Captain Marvin served several congregations, and, in preparation for future military ministry, pursued graduate studies in psychology at Penn State University, Duquesne University and Pittsburg Theological Seminary. In 1987, Chaplain Marvin was nominated by the Navy Chief of Chaplains to receive The Witherspoon Award for dedicated Bible-centered ministry. His other awards include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Award, the Navy Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Medal.

Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, Former Special Assistant (Values and Vision) to the Secretary of Chief of Staff of The United States Air Force.  Rabbi Resnicoff is a widely known consultant on interfaith values and inter-religious affairs, and a former Special Assistant (Values and Vision) to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. He was principal advisor on religion, ethics and morals to General Wesley K. Clark and coordinated religious support for more than 100,000 U.S. Military personnel and their families.  Rabbi Resnicoff is a graduate of The Jewish Theological Seminary (New York). He has served as Command Chaplain for the U.S. European Command. As liaison to USEUCOM, he covered 83 nations and 13 million square miles. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Rabbi Resnicoff has also received the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, the highest award that the Air Force can present to a civilian, for his “singularly distinguished accomplishments.” Rabbi Resnicoff’s many other historic achievements include his leading the first interfaith service at Israel’s Western Wall. He helped create the Naval War College conference on Military Leadership and Professional Ethics and was its principal speaker at every annual conference until his retirement from the Navy.

2006 Fall Lecture: Michael Brooks

The CCJD, in cooperation with The Greenberg Center for Tolerance, The Colorado College and Temple Shalom, hosted its 2006 Fall Lecture with Michael Brooks, Executive Director of The Hillel Foundation at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

The event took place on Tuesday, October 17, at Temple Shalom, 1523 East Monument Street, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Dr. Brooks addressed the topic of “Judaism And Christianity: What Our Differences Might Teach Us About Our Relationship and Why the Wisdom of Both Traditions Is Needed for the World to Work.”
It is often said that great minds think alike, but that is seldom the case. Small minds more often think alike; great minds usually think differently. While the unspoken assumption of interfaith dialogue is often that the engagement will help us appreciate how much we have in common, it is equally possible that our profound differences in experience, worldview and values may bring Christians and Jews to an even greater appreciation of why the wisdom of both of our faith traditions is needed for the world to work.

CCJD Boards’ Statement on the World Crisis

The mission of The Center for Christian–Jewish Dialogue is to affirm what Christians and Jews hold in common, engage in conversation, promote understanding, and encourage mutual respect for each other’s faith, culture and history. We are deeply committed to interfaith dialogue.

Because of this commitment, we are dismayed at the dramatic increase in anger, hatred and violence in our culture. We are deeply saddened by the polarization that contributes to danger and insecurity in our world. Anti-Semitism has grown rapidly, as have distorted expressions of hatred for classical Christianity.

We encourage a return to the biblical vision of shalom¾God’s gift of peace, harmony and wholeness, and the abandonment of fear and irrational hatred. As Christians and Jews, we are dedicated to positive relationships between persons of our own and different religious traditions. We are dedicated to reconciliation and historical accuracy.

Albert Einstein once said that while “a human being is part of the whole¾a part of the universe limited in time and space, he experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.” Delusion imprisons us. We become restricted to our personal desires and to affection for the few people closest to us who always agree with us.

We call on all persons in our community and beyond to refuse to relate to one another through the broken lenses of violence, trauma and anti-Semitism. We invite and support a posture of peace and understanding, an attitude of openness, a strengthening of cultural resilience, and a rejection of destruction, whether physical or religious.

The Boards of Directors and Advisors
The Center for Christian–Jewish Dialogue
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Spring Lecture

Rev. Leanne Hadley, president of First Steps Spirituality Center and a member of the CCJD Board of Directors, presented our Spring Lecture on Sunday, June 25. Rev. Hadley spoke on “The Raising of Children in the Jewish and Christian Traditions,” an area in which her expertise is nationally recognized.

Sundays Lectures: June

Dr. Hirsch lectured on Sundays in June at First United Methodist Church and in July at St. Paul’s United Methodist (both in Colorado Springs), bringing the CCJD message within the context of scriptural study.