Two religious women pioneers, one a Jewish rabbi and the other a Sister of Social Service, headlined the 28th annual Catholic-Jewish Women's Conference in Los Angeles Nov. 11 centered on the theme: "Faith: Where can it lead?"

Held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the interfaith conference drew 130 Jewish and Catholic women who heard Rabbi Toba August and Sister of Social Service Diane Donoghue discuss the possibilities, and challenges, of a faith-based life from their individual perspectives and religious traditions.

Rabbi August, one of the first women to be ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary currently on the rabbinical staff at Adat Shalom in Los Angeles, said the conference theme inspired her to explore the perplexing question of how people of religious belief can arrive at extreme points of view.

"What is it inside of any religion that teaches tolerance and what ingredients are there inside religion that teaches extremism?" asked Rabbi August. Citing a story in the Jewish Bible (Numbers 25: 6-12), the rabbi recounted how God's anger at the Jewish people's worship of the Moabite deity, "Baal of Peor," was assuaged by the zeal of Phinehas, who killed an idolatrous Israelite man along with his female Midianite companion.

God's action was to tell Moses that Phinehas had pleased him by "zeal for my honor" and that, henceforth Phinehas and his descendents would receive "the pledge of an everlasting priesthood." According to Rabbi August, while this story seems to approve of vigilantism, it also portrays a "corrective measure" in which Phinehas was henceforth called to be a priest and man of peace as opposed to a man of violent acts.

"This corrective measure is built in repeatedly in our Jewish tradition," declared Rabbi August. "Before we do extreme acts, or before our faith leads us [to violence], reflect, slow down, meditate." Emphasizing the importance of tolerance in today's war-torn world, Rabbi August said that faith can lead to healing, understanding and love.

Sister Donoghue, a housing and community development leader based in South Central Los Angeles who sits on the board of directors of the Los Angeles Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, said her personal faith journey led her to join the Sisters of Social Service.

"I wanted to be a part of something that was really going to make a difference," said Sister Donoghue. Next year, she will celebrate her 50th anniversary as a Sister of Social Service, concentrating on improving living conditions for residents in South Central Los Angeles. In 1989, she founded Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, which celebrated the grand opening of 33 affordable units of family housing near USC Nov. 16.

"By ourselves, we can do nothing," said sister. "We recognize our call to form circles of love. With others, our spirits are restored…we create sparks together. I think that's what today is about. It's creating the spark and the interchange, and I'm very blessed to be a part of this day."

The Catholic-Jewish Women's Conference started locally in 1977 as a forum for interfaith dialogue. The goal of the conference is to promote understanding and good fellowship in the Los Angeles area between people of the Jewish and Catholic religious traditions. For further information about the conference, call (310) 391-8642 or (818) 222-4694.