Catholic and Jewish participants who gathered Nov. 11 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels concurred that people who have a well-grounded faith make room for dialogue with those with different beliefs.

"There is an advantage in dialogue in good and in difficult seasons," said Msgr. Royale Vadakin as he greeted 120 participants at the 33rd annual Catholic-Jewish Women's Conference presented by the American Jewish Committee, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

Msgr. Vadakin, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the archdiocese, helped launch the interfaith women's conference in 1977 together with the late Rabbi Alfred Wolf. The idea of a dialogue exchange between women of both religions was suggested by a group of Catholic religious sisters of different orders following the document Nostra Aetate from the Second Vatican Council that addressed the Church and non-Christian religions.

Rabbi Denise L. Eger, the first woman president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California who also greeted the women, noted that dialogue helps to see others in a different way from their own faith perspective. "We can agree to disagree in a civilized human way," she told The Tidings.

One keynote speaker from each faith addressed the selected topic, "Scripture and Tradition: Battleground or Common Ground?" followed by combined small group discussions. Dvora E. Weisberg, associate professor of Rabbinics and director of the School of Rabbinic studies at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, was joined by liberation theologian Laurie Wright-Garry, Mount St. Mary's College assistant professor of religious studies.

Weisberg acknowledged that even the terminology used by different religions with respect to Scripture and the Bible has contributed to differences and misunderstandings. She said Jews view Scripture (which they refer to as Torah or Tanakh) in two ways: as narrative, telling the foundational stories about the world and the Jewish people, and as a "guide for life," teaching Jews how to eat "jewishly," what to do during the Sabbath, how to treat people in a way pleasing to God, and so forth.

Sin, Weisberg noted, is seen by Jews as a series of acts that can be overcome. "Undoubtedly people will sin again, but that fact doesn't separate us from God in the long term," she added.

Differences with Christianity, Weisberg said, arose from a different understanding of who the Jews were.

"The Jews had a covenant with Abraham," she explained, which for Christians "was replaced by the covenant with the Spirit. To live a Jewish life was no longer an effective way to obtain salvation, grace, favor, or to be right with God."

Once the early Christians attained political advantages, Weisberg said, dialogue was either directed by the church, or was absent altogether. "I wonder how it would have been if both faiths would have had equal political power?" she mused.

"But what happened is that each faith used the Scriptures to secure their own reading of faith. And still today there are many Jews who do not read the New Testament for fear of being converted." Only four of the nearly 30 Jewish women in attendance admitted having read the New Testament.

Catholic tradition

Wright-Garry noted that some Catholics follow the Bible literally, influenced by it in every aspect of their lives, whereas others try to discern the message. "They learn from the other side and try to find a balance."

Many Catholics look at Scripture more openly and allow questioning of the text, she said, citing her own experience --- growing up in a home with a Lutheran father and a Catholic mother who took different approaches to understanding Scripture. Even among Catholics there are differences with respect to understanding tradition that Wright-Garry called "Big T" and "little t" issues.

The "Big T" issues, she said, include traditions that do not change within the Church (the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, or the priest presiding at Mass), while the "little t" traditions are subject to change (the language used at liturgy, or the priest facing the assembly instead of the altar).

"But sometimes," she said, "we get out of balance when we put tradition ahead of Scripture."

Since Vatican II, the Church has urged its members to engage in more dialogue and harmony with members of other faiths, and condemned anti-Semitism.

"It is good to hear the stories of one another, to share our faith with one another; Christians are still inflicting pain on Jewish," Wright-Garry asserted, urging the women to think about the women in the Bible such as Sarah, Rebecca, Ruth and Esther.

"When we remember them and follow their example, we're living out justice," she said. "All of us are amazing women that can change the world."

Gail Carp (Jewish) and Felicia Soissong-Segal (Catholic), who have attended the conference for the past 20 years, concurred with both speakers.

"This conference is a stretcher," said Soissong-Segal. "You learn about others' faith traditions and get to talk about each other beliefs and increase your appreciation for your own beliefs."

"When you share, you learn to respect and become non-judgmental," Carp said.

Sister of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary Jo'Ann De Quattro, another regular at the annual conference, said she would like to see the dialogue extend to Muslim women.

"This conference is a bridge between cultures based on religion," she remarked.

For more information about the Catholic-Jewish Women's Conference, call Barbara Durand at (805) 497-1370 or email dbdurand@aroadrunner.com.