Communiqué of the Anglican Jewish Commission
Thu, 9 Aug 2007

The first meeting of the Anglican Jewish Commission of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel took place at the seat of the Chief Rabbis in Jerusalem, on Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd July 2007. The Commission had been put in place under the provisions of the joint declaration of the Archbishop and the Chief Rabbis at Lambeth Palace on 6th September 2006. The discussions took place within the framework of the joint declaration made on that occasion which said that: "Our relationship is unique, not only historically and culturally, but also scripturally and for both religions is rooted in the one overarching covenant of God with Abraham to which God remains faithful through all time. ...This will be a dialogue of mutual respect in which we seek only to understand each other better and to strengthen our own communities and their affection and respect for each other".

The leaders of the delegations, Chief Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen of Haifa and The Rt Revd Michael Jackson, Bishop of Clogher, warmly welcomed the first meeting of the Commission as a most important further step in international Christian-Jewish relations and in the contribution of religious communities to the peaceful life of the world. the rest