Israel’s Chief Rabbis to Meet Archbishop of Canterbury

|TOP|Israel’s Chief Rabbis will meet the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace on Tuesday where it is expected a new joint declaration to establish a joint dialogue will be signed.

Bishops in the Anglican churches in the Middle East in particular have welcomed the coming together of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and Chief Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yonah Metzger.

Members of both faiths are hopeful the new dialogue will lead to closer relations between the archbishop and other religious leaders as well as consolidate interfaith relations in the Middle East and beyond, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The declaration will be signed before the leaders of both communities as well as leading Christian-Jewish dialogue organisations.

Dr Rowan Williams welcomed the new dialogue.

"I am delighted that we are now able to establish this important dialogue which enables religious leaders to discuss matters of concern. The more we are able to develop ways of listening to one's concerns and interest, the better our understanding will be of one another's hopes and fears," he said.

The dialogue will go some way to smooth out any remaining tensions following the Church of England’s vote to divest in companies whose products are used by the Israeli government.

|QUOTE|Britain’s Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has also welcomed the meeting, expressing his hope for a “genuine conversation” to be established between the leaders.

"The most important thing to achieve is genuine conversation in which the voice of Israel can be heard and heard in a way appropriate to a religious leader, mainly through other religious leaders - the chief rabbis of Israel.

"I think the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury personally have welcomed this initiative and we see it as an important one.

The Anglican Communion is an important body and the Archbishop of Canterbury is an important person," Sacks said.

He added: "Therefore I think this is the beginning of something and an important symbol that the ear of the church is open to the Jewish, and indeed, the Israeli voice."

|AD|The Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) also welcomed the meeting. A spokesman for the interfaith organisation said: "We commend the Church of England and His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury for their initiative and foresight in bringing this meeting to fruition.

"CCJ acknowledges the determination of the Archbishop and Lambeth Palace to further positive Jewish-Christian relations, bringing about a process for the ongoing improvement in understanding and dialogue.

"For 65 years, CCJ has been privileged to work with both traditions and can testify to the enrichment of all as a result.

"The meeting is a historic milestone that acknowledges the contribution of the Jewish faith to the economic, cultural and educational life of the UK as well as to Christianity's understanding of its Jewish roots. The meeting will affirm the centrality of future dialogue in a world of conflict and political tension."

The Anglican Friends of Israel gave the meeting a cautious welcome.

Simon McIlwaine, the director of AFI, said: "We join with the chief rabbis in reminding the Church of the centrality of Israel, not only to the Jewish faith, but to the Christian faith too.

"We also hope that this visit will remind the Church of the dangers of being swept up in an Islamic agenda to bring the entire Holy Land under Muslim control and may this visit strengthen the bond of interfaith fellowship and celebration of the common Biblical, theological and moral heritage we share with the Jewish people," he added.