I have just discovered the following - and I think it's a huge advance.

Given centuries of mutual distrust, anger, Inquisition and Holocaust, the following is remarkable! Well-known and respected Jewish rabbis have said the following, in a statement published and signed by them in December 2015:

“Jesus brought a double goodness to the world. On the one hand he strengthened the Torah of Moses majestically…and not one of our Sages spoke out more emphatically concerning the immutability of the Torah,” and on the other hand “he removed idols from the nations.”

“After nearly two millennia of mutual hostility and alienation, we Orthodox Rabbis who lead communities, institutions and seminaries in Israel, the United States and Europe…seek to do the will of our Father in Heaven by accepting the hand offered to us by our Christian brothers and sisters,” the statement reads.

Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn, Academic Director of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding & Cooperation states the following: - “This proclamation’s breakthrough is that influential Orthodox rabbis across all centers of Jewish life have finally acknowledged that… Christianity and Judaism have much in common spiritually and practically. Given our toxic history, this is unprecedented in Orthodoxy.” “As did Maimonides and Yehudah Halevi, we acknowledge that Christianity is neither an accident nor an error, but the willed divine outcome and gift to the nations. In separating Judaism and Christianity, G-d willed a separation between partners with significant theological differences, not a separation between enemies.”

The Full Statement –

Orthodox Rabbinic Statement on ChristianityDecember 3, 2015

To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians

After nearly two millennia of mutual hostility and alienation, we Orthodox Rabbis who lead communities, institutions and seminaries in Israel, the United States and Europe recognize the historic opportunity now before us. We seek to do the will of our Father in Heaven by accepting the hand offered to us by our Christian brothers and sisters. Jews and Christians must work together as partners to address the moral challenges of our era.

The Shoah ended 70 years ago. It was the warped climax to centuries ofdisrespect, oppression and rejection of Jews and the consequent enmitythat developed between Jews and Christians. In retrospect it is clear thatthe failure to break through this contempt and engage in constructivedialogue for the good of humankind weakened resistance to evil forces ofanti-Semitism that engulfed the world in murder and genocide.

We recognize that since the Second Vatican Council the official teachings ofthe Catholic Church about Judaism have changed fundamentally andirrevocably. The promulgation of Nostra Aetate fifty years ago started theprocess of reconciliation between our two communities. Nostra Aetate andthe later official Church documents it inspired unequivocally reject anyform of anti-Semitism, affirm the eternal Covenant between G-d and theJewish people, reject deicide and stress the unique relationship betweenChristians and Jews, who were called “our elder brothers” by Pope JohnPaul II and “our fathers in faith” by Pope Benedict XVI. On this basis,Catholics and other Christian officials started an honest dialogue withJews that has grown during the last five decades. We appreciate theChurch’s affirmation of Israel’s unique place in sacred history and theultimate world redemption. Today Jews have experienced sincere love andrespect from many Christians that have been expressed in many dialogueinitiatives, meetings and conferences around the world.

As did Maimonides and Yehudah Halevi,[1] we acknowledge that Christianity isneither an accident nor an error, but the willed divine outcome and giftto the nations. In separating Judaism and Christianity, G-d willed aseparation between partners with significant theological differences, nota separation between enemies. Rabbi Jacob Emden wrote that “Jesus broughta double goodness to the world. On the one hand he strengthened the Torahof Moses majestically… and not one of our Sages spoke out moreemphatically concerning the immutability of the Torah. On the other handhe removed idols from the nations and obligated them in the sevencommandments of Noah so that they would not behave like animals of the field,and instilled them firmly with moral traits…..Christians are congregationsthat work for the sake of heaven who are destined to endure, whose intentis for the sake of heaven and whose reward will not denied.”[2] RabbiSamson Raphael Hirsch taught us that Christians “have accepted the JewishBible of the Old Testament as a book of Divine revelation. They professtheir belief in the G-d of Heaven and Earth as proclaimed in the Bible andthey acknowledge the sovereignty of Divine Providence.”[3] Now that theCatholic Church has acknowledged the eternal Covenant between G-d andIsrael, we Jews can acknowledge the ongoing constructive validity ofChristianity as our partner in world redemption, without any fear thatthis will be exploited for missionary purposes. As stated by the ChiefRabbinate of Israel’s Bilateral Commission with the Holy See under theleadership of Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, “We are no longer enemies, butunequivocal partners in articulating the essential moral values for thesurvival and welfare of humanity”.[4] Neither of us can achieve G-d’smission in this world alone.

Both Jews and Christians have a common covenantal mission to perfect the worldunder the sovereignty of the Almighty, so that all humanity will call onHis name and abominations will be removed from the earth. We understandthe hesitation of both sides to affirm this truth and we call on ourcommunities to overcome these fears in order to establish a relationshipof trust and respect. Rabbi Hirsch also taught that the Talmud putsChristians “with regard to the duties between man and man on exactly thesame level as Jews. They have a claim to the benefit of all the duties notonly of justice but also of active human brotherly love.” In the pastrelations between Christians and Jews were often seen through theadversarial relationship of Esau and Jacob, yet Rabbi Naftali Zvi Berliner(Netziv) already understood at the end of the 19th century that Jews andChristians are destined by G-d to be loving partners: “In the future whenthe children of Esau are moved by pure spirit to recognize the people ofIsrael and their virtues, then we will also be moved to recognize thatEsau is our brother.”[5]

We Jews and Christians have more in common than what divides us: the ethicalmonotheism of Abraham; the relationship with the One Creator of Heaven andEarth, Who loves and cares for all of us; Jewish Sacred Scriptures; abelief in a binding tradition; and the values of life, family,compassionate righteousness, justice, inalienable freedom, universal loveand ultimate world peace. Rabbi Moses Rivkis (Be’er Hagoleh) confirms thisand wrote that “the Sages made reference only to the idolator of their daywho did not believe in the creation of the world, the Exodus, G-d’smiraculous deeds and the divinely given law. In contrast, the people amongwhom we are scattered believe in all these essentials of religion.”[6]

Our partnership in no way minimizes the ongoing differences between the twocommunities and two religions. We believe that G-d employs many messengersto reveal His truth, while we affirm the fundamental ethical obligationsthat all people have before G-d that Judaism has always taught through theuniversal Noahide covenant.

In imitating G-d, Jews and Christians must offer models of service,unconditional love and holiness. We are all created in G-d’s Holy Image,and Jews and Christians will remain dedicated to the Covenant by playingan active role together in redeeming the world.

_{For those who signed, see - http://cjcuc.com/site/2015/12/03/orthodox-rabbinic-statement-on-christia...}