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March 29, 2002/Nisan 16 5762, Vol. 54, No. 28
'Sacred Chain' links two faiths
BILL STRAUS
Special to Jewish News
Among the many facets of work upon which the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) embarks is strengthening intergroup and interfaith bonds. And perhaps no single program better represents this aspect of ADL than the much-heralded Bearing Witness program.
Begun in 1996, Bearing Witness brings together Catholic educators from around the country to explore the history of anti-Semitism from biblical times to the present, including, and even focusing on, the role of the Church during the Holocaust.
Participants also study recent changes in Catholic teachings on Jews and Judaism, issues of prejudice in contemporary society and strategies for teaching students about all of these issues. It is a joint partnership among ADL, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., the National Catholic Educational Association and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The program brings two faiths together and has drawn exalted praise from its participants. But until now, and largely as a result of the important role played by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in the program, Bearing Witness has only taken place in Washington on a national level.
Paul Wieser, the Associate Arizona Regional Director of ADL, is an authority on the Holocaust. He has a Master's degree in Holocaust Studies, is a Mandel Fellow of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and former Fulbright scholar to China. He has written numerous articles and has been a contributing author to two books on the Holocaust. Paul has dreamed of converting the national Bearing Witness program into a regional one. That dream is soon to become reality. It will take place this June in Tucson. The program will involve the entire Diocese of Tucson, basically the southern half of Arizona. Over four days, it will incorporate some of Tucson's most picturesque venues, including Picture Rocks Retreat Center, San Xavier del Bac and Temples Anshai Israel and Emanu-El. Since we obviously cannot bring our participants to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, we will bring the museum to them in the form of a "virtual tour."
All of us in the Arizona office are proud of this ADL first. Our local efforts are being watched by 29 other ADL regional offices. Provided we are successful, they look forward to carrying out the program in their homes.
Although patterned closely after the national program, ours will operate under its own name, Sacred Chain. We chose that name for our pioneer effort since it speaks to the natures of the Catholic and Jewish faiths and draws upon the metaphor of the chain, that can not only inhibit and restrict, but also has the remarkable ability to bond and connect. Sacred Chain will bring the Catholic and Jewish communities of half the state closer together than perhaps they have ever been. It will result in immeasurable benefits to not only those in attendance, but to the thousands of Catholic school students who will learn from them in the years to come.
Bill Straus is the regional director of the Arizona chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. Contact him at 602-274-0991.
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