This review was originally published in The Heythrop Journal, a bimonthly, peer-reviewed academic journal that covers the relations between philosophy and theology. It was written by Peter Admirand, Deputy Head of School in the School of Theology, Philosophy, and Music, Associate Professor of Theology, and Director of the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue at Dublin City University.
If you’d like to purchase Stress Test: The Israel-Hamas War and Christian-Jewish Relations. Edited by Carol Rittner and John K. Roth.
Since Nostra Aetate, Christian-Jewish relations have gone from strength to strength. Whether seen through Jewish pro-Christian statements like Dabru Emet (2000) or ‘To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christ’ (2015); the friendship of Pope Francis and Rabbi Abraham Skorka; or the everyday academic and personal connections that encourage interfaith learning and collaboration, relations between Jews and Christians have blossomed. This does not mean there have not been setbacks or difficult moments, like the publication of Dominus Iesus (2000) or papal verbal gaffes that echoed supersessionist tendencies. Nor did it preclude an interfaith reality that most participants in the formal dialogue tended to lean liberal or that some generational shifts mean institutional belonging and identities are more fluid among the young while memories of the Shoah for some Christians fade as connections to living survivors dwindle. But Hamas’ murderous rampage and hostage taking of Israelis (and others) on October 7th and the Israeli military’s ongoing and unrelenting bombing and retaliation in Gaza and Lebanon have created rifts and deep misunderstandings among Jews and Christians. Accusations and judgments of who is most responsible for the killings deepen, while arguments regarding war crimes, or even genocide, further heighten the interfaith tension. Many Jews, even those who reject Netanyahu and are distraught by the Palestinian death toll and scenes of destruction, feel abandoned by Christians who cannot see the existential threat against the Jewish people, let alone the message sent to Jews when they participate in pro-Palestinian marches.
Many Christians, meanwhile, feel torn and hesitant of publicly saying anything from fear they will be misunderstood, perhaps labeled antisemitic if rebuking the State of Israel or complicit in murder if they do not descry the loss of Palestinian life. Into this risky and uncertain breach, long-term human rights and genocide and ethics experts, Carol Rittner and John K. Roth, invited fellow leading American Christians in Jewish-Christian dialogue to assess how these current events have challenged (if not undermined) Jewish-Christian relations, express their sense of the state of the dialogue, and perhaps suggest ways forward.
The result is: Stress Test: The Israel-Hamas War and Jewish-Christian Relations, which is an invaluable snapshot and timely bellwether for the perception and state of the dialogue among this specific group, again American Christian academics committed to peace and interfaith dialogue among Jews and Christians in particular. And yet, here, too, we sometimes see evidence of the chasms in the dialogue since October 7th or a tendency to be especially careful with their words from fear of offending. The best essays, though, like Michael Azar’s: ‘Admitting the Sins of Christian-Jewish Relations’, speak courageously, and sometimes bluntly, though always with a compassionate eye on the many victims from all the various sides. It is also important to note that most of the contributors wrote their chapters in the summer of 2024. While the book includes a masterful and detailed thirty-four-page timeline of events from 1948 to late-November 2024 by Roth and Rittner, the conflict (after various attempts at ceasefires) is ongoing as I write in April 2025. The writers did not have the luxury of reflecting after events, but had to do so amidst great unsettling uncertainty and a dearth of interfaith dialogue in the aftermath of October 7th. In this regard, all the contributors should be commended. As Phil Cunningham writes in his chapter: ‘This might seem the worst time to ponder interreligious dynamics, yet crises can reveal tensions that normally lie beneath the surface’ (p. 81).
In addition to Rittner and Roth (who contribute their own robust chapters as well as the timeline mentioned above, an insightful introduction, and brief commentary before the book’s three parts), there are ten other contributors—all of them well-known participants in the field, whom I list in alphabetical order by surname: Michael G. Azar, Mary Boys, Philip A. Cunningham, Massimo Faggioli, Christopher M. Leighton, James G. Paharik, John T. Pawlikowski, Sarah K. Pinnock, and Elena Procario-Foley. Each of the three parts of the book has four chapters, with Part One titled: ‘Frank Dialogue’; Part 2: ‘What We Owe Each Other’; and Part 3: ‘I Will Not Be Silent’.
While I will not systematically assess each chapter—they all have their merits—I judge Azar’s, Pinnock’s, and Paharik’s the most potent and thought-provoking and will spend more time with theirs, examining a few key ideas and issues weaved throughout the book.
While Hamas is consistently censured in Stress Test, the actions of the State of Israel are sometimes hedged with more careful words, though Roth and Rittner repeatedly raise the question of whether Israel has committed war crimes, ‘if not genocide’, an issue they rightly name as the one ‘most hotly and divisively debated’ in the dialogue right now (p. 5). Paharik’s chapter is particularly acute here, not only turning to witness testimonies to suffering and atrocity (which always heighten and challenge theological language), but in raising questions of whether the Israeli military and government are guilty of domicide, ‘which is defined as “the massive, arbitrary destruction of civilian housing in a conflict”’ (p. 159). This is a term often unaddressed, but we all have seen the satellite images of Gaza’s destruction, even if we ultimately blame Hamas for forcing Israel’s hand or strategically hiding military weapons and soldiers amidst civilians; Iran for supplying Hamas weapons; the callousness of the Israeli government, the financial and military assistance from the United States, and so on. Also of note, as Rittner writes, are questions of gender-based crimes committed by both Hamas and members of the IDF and the need for Christians and Jews to discuss these cases openly and not treat them as a ‘dirty secret’ (p. 57).
And what of the Holocaust? I have argued elsewhere that many Christians of my generation (and before) engage in Jewish-Christian relations out of guilt and a genuine sense of repentance for Christian atrocities and sins toward Jews. Genuine friendships with Jews, following Jesus’ call to love one another, and celebrating Jesus’ Jewishness through interfaith learning about Judaism are also factors. But as Christianity spreads in parts of the world with few living Jews, the Holocaust’s universal significance fades with the passing of time and survivors, and younger generations have little or no connection to any institutional Church and its past failures towards Jews, Palestinian suffering is heightened and the government of Israel becomes equated with Judaism more broadly. Meanwhile, many Jews invoke memories of the Shoah in expressing their horrors regarding October 7th. Faggioli, for example, refers to previous ‘abuses of the Holocaust to justify problematic policies of the State of Israel and to equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism’ (p. 128). He rightly warns that historical and geopolitical developments since the Second Vatican Council, like a ‘more militant and violent State of Israel’ along with ‘democratic backsliding’ must be faced (p. 129).
Pinnock, moreover, adds that while Yom HaShoah memorials in 2024 showed a general unity of an American and Israeli remembrance that linked the Shoah with October 7th and the “Never again” cry, it also highlighted how ‘Palestinians are not mourned as victims in the Israel-Hamas war and have no place in Holocaust remembrance’ (p. 199). While I would challenge Pinnock’s anti-theodicy approach (p. 207; see my 2012 book reviewed in these pages), she is right to highlight how those of us dedicated to learning from the horrors of the Shoah (which includes combatting any form of anti-Judaism) are also called to name and denounce crimes against humanity wherever they occur and by whomever is causing them. Here, I also think of Didier Pollefeyt’s comment over a decade ago that upholding the memory of the victims of the Shoah entails making sure their story and memory are not used for immoral and unjust practices by any people or regime.
In this light, Azar’s chapter should be read particularly widely and its inclusion is another testament to the stellar and brave efforts of Roth and Rittner. Azar is unblinking in his holding up the ongoing atrocities of the Nakba. His condemnation of the State of Israel’s abuse and killing of Palestinians is naked and unadorned. He calls the current book ‘flawed’ and points to how ‘other contributors have sometimes shared views that promote and legitimate violence against Palestinians’ (p. 167). While the footnote provides few details, problematic because it could paint those innocent as equally culpable, it provides a brief glimpse into the messy reality. His view that contemporary Christian-Jewish dialogue is built on ignoring or deflecting Palestinian harm and suffering is a damning accusation that must be dealt with honestly and openly—if it can survive such a ‘stress test’. His claims on the racist-origins of the Seelisberg Conference (p. 174)—which we often praise as the origin for the International Council of Christians and Jews in 1948—is provocative and his highlighting of ‘these collectivizing and racist attitudes in the formative years of post-Vatican II Christian-Jewish relations’ also needs a deep and sustained evaluation. I don’t doubt that Christians (like me) so focused on healing the relationship with the Jewish people may have fallen into such a trap towards the forgotten or deflected Palestinian, even if Christian, let alone Muslim or secular. The only question I would ask of Azar is why in his discussion of the abandonment and suffering of Christian Palestinians, the words ‘Muslims’ and ‘Islam’ are not present in the chapter—which could undermine his call to facing sins by silence and un-naming.
Regardless, Rittner and Roth, and all the contributors to this book, should be praised for trusting their Jewish friends and colleagues by speaking some difficult truths and questions in the hopes of stopping any ‘derailing’ of Jewish-Christian relations (p. 3). This does not mean words may not sting with some bitterness or that mistakes will not be made. This is when real dialogue and real human interactions become so vulnerable and scary. A year and a half after October 7th, many of us are still afraid and we hyper-fixate on some mythical best way forward or the perfect words to say. But humility, transparency, and vulnerability—if ultimately rooted in genuine love for one another—can provide a stumbling way forward. A relationship that hides real feelings and avoids conflicts or refuses to listen to potential critiques or work through disagreements is no relationship. A book like Stress Test was needed before October 7th for Jewish-Christian dialogue, but it is indispensable now. Going forward, I urge, invite, and hope Jewish and Palestinian voices read and respond to these chapters in a follow-up version.
iPub Forum 