11th Annual Nostra Aetate Lecture
with Dr. David Kraemer
Nostra aetate (from Latin: "In our time") is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on 28 October 1965 by Pope Paul VI. It is the shortest of the 16 final documents of the Council and "the first in Catholic history to focus on the relationship that Catholics have with Jews." It "reveres the work of God in all the major faith traditions." It begins by stating its purpose of reflecting on what humankind has in common in these times when people are being drawn closer together.
Event is co-sponsored by Rev. George Balasko and Rabbi Joseph P. Schonberger.
There will be two lectures, one at 3:00 pm the other at 7:00 pm.
An optional dinner is being offered for $10 per person at 5:25 pm.
Registration is preferred for those staying for dinner.
If you are having problems registering online, please choose the mail-in option to bypass the payment requirement.
3:00 pm
Accepting Suffering?: Jewish Views on Human Suffering and its Meanings
To live a human life means to suffer—not just to feel pain, but to experience pain, physical and emotional, and to wonder why. All cultures have developed understandings of suffering, and religious teachings have been central in instructing us how to suffer—how to understand it and how to experience it. In this session, we will consider the range of Jewish teachings on suffering, with particular attention to traditions that make room for rejection of what might otherwise be understood as divine instruction.
7:00 pm
What Comes After Life?—The Opinions of
Judaism
With the end of “life” comes “death.”
But what does that mean? Is death the end, extinction? Or is it another
stage/state of being? Jews, from the Hebrew Bible to the rabbis and beyond,
have answered these questions in various ways, but there have also been beliefs
that have dominated over time—beliefs that affect the way Jews, as well as
Christians, have lived their lives in anticipation of death. In this session,
we will dig deep into the traditions where these beliefs can be discovered,
gaining new understandings of the ways Jews and those who share their
traditions have understood the ultimate fate of all who are born.
Virtual Option for the 3:00 pm Lecture:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8715427267?pwd=dkx4a0V0Zm14SVRlYnZwTU9JRFB4QT09&omn=81890473773
Meeting ID:
871 542 7267
Passcode:
VMESC
Virtual Option for the 7:00 pm Lecture
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8715427267?pwd=dkx4a0V0Zm14SVRlYnZwTU9JRFB4QT09&omn=83761446061
Meeting ID:
871 542 7267
Passcode:
VMESC
Dr. David
Kraemer is the Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian at The Jewish Theological
Seminary, where he has also served as Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics for
many years. As Librarian, Prof. Kraemer is at the helm of the most extensive
collection of Judaica—rare and contemporary—in the Western hemisphere. On account of the size and importance of the
collection, Prof. Kraemer is instrumental in setting policy and establishing
vision for projects of international importance. Prof. Kraemer is a prolific
author and commentator. His books
include The Mind of the Talmud (1990), Responses to Suffering in
Classical Rabbinic Literature (1995), The Meanings of Death in Rabbinic
Judaism (2000), and Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages (Routledge,
2007, 2009), among others. His most recent book is A History of the Talmud (Cambridge
U. Press, 2019). His new book, The Diaspora Idea in Judaism, will be
published by Oxford U. Press in 2024.