The People in the Room: Rabbis, Nuns, Pastors, Popes, and Presidents

By Rabbi James Rudin

Go behind the headlines and read the inside story told by “one who was in the room” as Christians and Jews—strangers and adversaries for nearly twenty centuries—reversed that sad history and created an extraordinary revolution of the human spirit. Told by a global interreligious leader, this authoritative book is the riveting personal account of the significant issues and major personalities he encountered in the vital effort to permanently change the relationship between two of the world’s major religious communities.

His belief in the goodness of humanity and undying faith that with interreligious dialogue we can find good in all religions, Rabbi James Rudin opens up to his life’s work, his journey into the soul of religion, spirituality, and life.

Rabbi Rudin takes us inside the Vatican, Camp David, churches, synagogues, and other stops across the globe, where he and so many others worked under the radar, tirelessly, for a lifetime, building rapport and bringing the religions together with interfaith dialogue. Rabbis, reverends, pastors, priests, nuns, popes, all working in tandem to make our world a better place.

As Rabbi Rudin and others keep putting their next foot forward, we find inspiration to ask:
Are there possibilities where we never dreamed they existed?
Have we given enough of ourselves to the good of the world?
How can we continue the work Rabbi Rudin and others have done?
Most people look at peace through a broad lens—either we have it or we are at war—but the day-to-day efforts of moving toward love and understanding have escaped us. This hopeful explanation shows that one person, one of many, can work diligently behind the scenes, toward peace. Such tenacity, such grit in believing so strongly in human nature’s possibilities will accomplish miracles.

Read this book and learn the inside story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iPub Global Connection LLC
• Release date: Mar 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781948575577

Book preview

What they are saying...

A great book about interreligious relations, Jim’s life and his unique contributions to advancing substantially and significantly Jewish ties to other faiths, deepening their understanding of Jews and Judaism. The last few chapters are a useful how-to guide for engaging productively in interreligious relations. It’s a good read.

Kenneth Bandler

American Jewish Committee Director of Media Relations

_____________________

"Jim Rudin is a rabbi, scholar, and mensch. This beautifully written and insightful volume takes its readers behind the scenes in detailing the most important Jewish-Christian events of the past 30-plus years. Meetings with popes, nuns, and politicians helped shape the contours of developments both national and international. Rudin's invaluable experience as an Air Force chaplain paved the way for his groundbreaking interfaith career. As Director of the American Jewish Committee's Interfaith relations division, his many contributions had both national and international impact. For example, vastly improved Jewish-Christian relations as exemplified by his friendship with Cardinal O'Connor, his work with Sister Ann Gillen, the challenging relationship between Evangelicals and Jews, formation of the alliance for Soviet Jewry, successfully arguing for the interfaith representation of the stained glass windows at the Camp David presidential retreat, vastly improved Jewish-Christian dialogue, reforming the noxious script of the Oberammergau Passion Play, fighting antisemitism, and adding impetus to the interfaith struggle for social justice. Through his many books, essays, and speeches, Rudin has kept his eye on the ball in terms of what unites and what threatens Jewish-Christian relations. He is too wise, however, to be content with simply rehearsing past achievements. He soberly assesses the challenges imposed by the future, such as the changing demographics of the Catholic Church, the rise of a younger generation either unaware of or indifferent to the dramatic changes wrought by the Church's Nostra Aetate promulgation, and a decrease in European and American religious commitment. But Rudin is ever the optimist. He, along with the prophet Zechariah, is a ‘prisoner of hope.’ The People in the Room is a treasure."

Alan L. Berger, PhD

Raddock Family Eminent Scholar Chair of Holocaust Studies, Florida Atlantic University

_____________________

For many decades, Rabbi A. James Rudin has been a key player nationally, internationally, and on leadership and grassroots levels in helping disparate religious communities overcome past hostility and work together for the common good. The religious and political leaders with whom he has worked read like a Who’s Who of notable figures of the last half-century and more. This wonderful book provides an invaluable eyewitness account of ventures that have built understanding among Jews, Catholics, African American churches, mainline and Evangelical Protestants, and others. Rabbi Rudin speaks of interreligious legislative efforts on behalf of those in need, and concludes with practical and concrete guidance, built on a lifetime of experience, for promoting interreligious dialogue and amity. Readers will quickly find that this book is filled with insight, compassion, wit, and true wisdom and will not be able to put it down.

Philip Cunningham, PhD

Director, Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations; Professor, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Saint Joseph’s University

_____________________

This book by Rabbi Rudin is a must-read for anyone interested in Jewish-Christian relations. The author has been deeply involved in dialogues and joint projects with Christians since before the Second Vatican Council. He narrates, explains, and indicates the lasting significance of key moments and developments in this ongoing and ever-deepening relationship through the lens of his own life and his interactions with others, both Jews and Christians. I highly recommended this book for Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. Muslims may also find it of deep interest.

Eugene J. Fisher, PhD

Distinguished Professor of Theology, Saint Leo University

_____________________

I first came across the name James Rudin when I did research on Soviet Jewry advocacy in the United States. I quoted his personal observation of the crowd of a quarter million people at the Washington Demonstration on December 6, 1987, prior to the summit between President Reagan and Secretary Gorbachev. He related that event to the Holocaust: But the guilt was there, and there was a sense of ‘God damn it, we’re going to do in ’87 for the Soviet Jews what we could not have done and should have done or might have done earlier." The Struggle for Soviet Jewry in American Politics (Lexington Books, 2003, pp. 226-227). I chose the quote because Jim Rudin saw things as I did. He contrasted the success of American Jews in rescuing (liberating) the million or more Jews of the Soviet Union to their failure to act on behalf of the Jews of Germany and Europe during the Holocaust. Years later while doing research for a second book on Soviet Jewry, American Christians and the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry: A Call to Conscience (Lanham, MD.: Lexington Books, 2019) I came across his name again. I learned that within the American Jewish Committee (AJC), its Religious Affairs Department—which Jim had joined in 1968—had led its advocacy for Soviet Jewry. The AJC involved Christian Americans in the struggle for Soviet Jewry.

In 1971-1972, together with the National Catholic Conference on Interracial Justice, it established the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry. Sister Ann Gillen of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus directed the Task Force. Rabbi Rudin worked together with Sister Ann Gillen providing guidance and supervision. Over the years, the Task Force involved tens of thousands of American Christians in advocacy for Soviet Jewry. Their involvement proved to be crucial in bringing about action by the American government to pressure the Soviet Union to change its policies toward its Jewish citizens. Jim Rudin and I are both active and committed American Jews of the post-Holocaust generation. There is one significant difference about the lives we have chosen for ourselves. I became an academic scholar who studies and writes about American Jewish activism during the Holocaust and after. In contrast, Jim Rudin chose to be an activist. He worked for decades advocating for Soviet Jewry attending endless meetings, organizing seminars and conferences, meeting with church leaders, State Department officials, Congressmen, Soviet Jewish activists, and demonstrating everywhere. He helped lead a crucial organization which brought non-Jewish Americans into the mainstream of Soviet Jewry advocacy in the United States. In doing so, he helped bring about the success of the movement to liberate the Jews of the Soviet Union.

I recommend his memoir for many reasons. It tells the story of his activism in Soviet Jewry advocacy. More importantly, it covers his pioneering leadership in interfaith dialogue and cooperation. He played a crucial role in outreach by the AJC with Catholics, mainline Protestants, Evangelicals, and Muslims. Finally, in writing about his life he takes notice of recent changes in America following the election of President Trump in 2016. While at one time viewing the post-World War II era as a golden age for American Jewry, he is now more cautious in his analysis of the present and future standing of Jews in America."

Fred A. Lazin, PhD

Professor Emeritus, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel

Honorary Outgoing Chair, RC05 Comparative Studies of Local Govt. & Politics, IPSA

_____________________

"Rabbi A. James Rudin has been a pivotal person in the dialogue between Christians and Jews generated by the II Vatican Council's Declaration Nostra Aetate. He has been at the very center of key issues within the ongoing dialogue, some very positive and others marked by considerable tensions. Rabbi Rudin has come to understand the meaning and the challenge of authentic interreligious dialogue through active participation. Hence, his reflections on key moments and movements during the last half-century in the context of his overall life can serve as an enriching learning experience for those who have followed the path he has helped to construct. His volume exemplifies what interreligious encounter has been and what it might be for the future ahead."

John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, PhD

Professor Emeritus, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago

_____________________

We are fortunate to be living in one of the most remarkable periods in religious history. Religious antagonisms that have persisted for thousands of years have been giving way to understanding, respect, and even affection. Jim Rudin has had a front row seat to this epic transformation. Indeed, he has been one of the people instrumental in bringing this happy evolution to fruition. In this always interesting and insightful book, Jim blends the personal and the historical. He tells the story of his own life, along with giving an insider’s account of some of the pivotal interfaith events that have marked this time. In addition, he offers insightful accounts of various religious movements he has encountered and the dynamics of the dialogue. He offers sage advice about how to sustain the progress that is so obviously precious to him. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in interfaith dialogue or the religious history of this remarkable time.

Rabbi Daniel Polish, PhD

Congregation Shir Chadash of Hudson Valley, LaGrange New York Author of Talking About God: What We Can Learn from Kierkegaard, Buber, Tillich, and Heschel

_____________________

Anyone involved with Jewish-Christian relations in particular and interreligious dialogue in general owes a huge debt to Rabbi A. James Rudin. Though friends and colleagues know he rejects accolades such as pioneer, Jim is indeed a giant on whose shoulders subsequent generations of interreligious leaders stand. Let the reader decide! If, as he writes, theology is not counting ‘angels on the head of a pin,’ it is autobiographical, then we have been given a master class in theology and Jewish-Christian relations. Both humble and passionate, inspiring, and encouraging, Rudin takes the reader around the world recounting the formative decades that revolutionized relations between Christians and Jews. From passion plays to biomedical task forces to cults and much more, Rudin’s career teaches us that from respectful listening, difficult dialogues, and dogged persistence understanding and healing can arise. Clear-eyed about the serious problems that remain, and following his teachers and the prophets, Rudin begins and ends with the reminder to remain prisoners of hope.

Elena G. Procario-Foley, PhD

Iona College

Br. John G. Driscoll Professor of Jewish-Catholic Studies

Director, Core Curriculum Professor, Religious Studies

Editor, Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology Society

_____________________

His writings serve as a veritable archive of information on the most historic period of the transformation of the relationship between Jewry and the Christian world—in particular, the Catholic Church.

Rabbi David Rosen

American Jewish Committee Jerusalem-based Director of International Interreligious Affairs

_____________________

Rabbi James Rudin, longtime director of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee, played a leading role in combating antisemitism and improving Jewish-Christian relations. Here he recounts the story of his life and work, providing valuable background from the perspective of one who was frequently in the room when major changes happened. Historians of American religion will feast on these revealing recollections. They are likewise a pleasure to read.

Jonathan D. Sarna, PhD

Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History Brandeis University, and author of "American Judaism: A History

_____________________

The field of international interfaith relations is one fraught with many pitfalls. Each nuanced statement might create an uproar or cement a bond. The stakes are high, and knowledge of the various faiths must be deep. In addition, patience and understanding are keys to defusing anger and bringing peoples of differing faiths closer together. Rabbi A. James Rudin’s career of many decades has been marked by such leadership. As Interreligious Affairs Director of the prestigious American Jewish Committee, he was in constant contact with leaders ranging from local clergy to heads of national denominations to such international leaders as the Roman Catholic Popes. In this volume, he describes in detail the sensitive work of developing closer understanding and greater cooperation between the major religious groups of the world. His thirty-two years with the organization were ones of great strides in the field, despite some major setbacks. His personal story brings these major negotiations to us on a very personal level. It is a very readable novel and an infinitely worthwhile one.

Rabbi Jeffrey Stiffman, PhD

Congregation Shaare Emeth, St. Louis Missouri and Past President of the National Association of Retired Reform Rabbis

_____________________

This book is more than an autobiographical journey; it is an affirmation of Rabbi Rudin’s profound influence in shaping a generation of interfaith relationships. It is, in so many ways, a tribute to his untiring efforts in promoting such sacred and essential dialogue and in acknowledging the many influential clergy and laity who were an integral part of his life story and accomplishments. Through this personalized yet straight forward narrative, we are introduced as well to the core principles and best practices in connection with advancing interreligious understanding. Rabbi David Rosen so eloquently captures the essence of James Rudin in his comment: I refer to his personal integrity and goodness which are enriched by a lovely natural modesty and great humor. Indeed, behind these extraordinary achievements, one finds this marvelous, engaging, and unassuming mensch!

Steven Windmueller, PhD

Professor Emeritus of Jewish Communal Service, Hebrew Union College

_____________________

Rabbi Rudin’s memoirs offer us much more than nostalgic reflections of a distinguished career dedicated to the furtherance of interreligious understanding. The fascinating vignettes presented in each chapter provide readers with a front-row seat to some of the most consequential interfaith activities and controversies that occurred in the final decades of the 20th century. This book is a genuine page-turner filled with insight that will capture the interest of all who are interested in actualizing peace among the religions.

Gary Phillip Zola, PhD

Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus

Center of the American Jewish Archives and the Edward M.

Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor of the American

Jewish Experience at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

_____________________

The People in the Room

Rabbis, Nuns, Pastors, Popes, and Presidents

Rabbi James Rudin

Published by

iPub Global Connection LLC

***

SMASHWORDS EDITION

***

1050 W. Nido Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85210

www.iPubGlobalConnection.com

[e-mail]

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher and author, except where permitted by law.

Copyright 2022 James Rudin

ISBN: 978-1-948575-56-0

eBook ISBN: 978-1-948575-57-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021925060

Several pieces contained in this book were published with permission from Religion News Service. See more at: https://religionnews.com

***

Acknowledgments

I could not have written this book without the guidance, support, cooperation, and inspiration of many people and institutions.

My dear friend and longtime interreligious colleague, Dr. Leonard Swidler of Temple University, first suggested I write a description of my life and career.

The gifted people at iPub put this book together: Sandi Billingslea, Sandy Mayer, Susan Nunn, Jessica DiDonato, Carolyn Wooddall, Cynthia Dean Spalding, and Elyse Draper. Special thanks to my brilliant editors at Religion News Service and Reform Judaism.org: Joan Connell, Kevin Eckstrom, Aron Hirt-Manheimer, Paul O’Donnell, and Jerome Socolovsky.

While this book is the work of a single author, my numerous Jewish and Christian friends taught me more than they will ever know, and I am grateful to all of them.

I especially appreciate the suggestions and comments of Dr. Mary C. Boys of Union Theological Seminary, Rabbi David Rosen, the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) International Interreligious Director, and Dr. Marvin R. Wilson of Gordon College.

The AJC has been my professional home for more than fifty years, a precious gift I never take for granted. Since 1991 Religion News Service (RNS) has distributed my commentaries, and Reform Judaism.org (RJ.ORG) has also circulated my book reviews and commentaries. It is an honor to have been one of the founders in 1998 of the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies (CCJS) at Saint Leo University (SLU) where I serve as a Visiting Professor of Religion and Judaica. I am grateful to the staff of the AJC Archives in New York City and the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati for their excellent research facilities.

I am indebted to Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum, my mentor in Christian-Jewish relations, and that debt of gratitude extends to my fellow AJC staff members, both past and present. Shulamith Bahat, Donald Feldstein, Bert Gold, David Gordis, David Harris, Ira Silverman, and William Trosten, my AJC bosses over the years, provided strong positive leadership especially when global interreligious relations became stormy and turbulent.

The views and opinions expressed in this book are my own, however, and do not necessarily reflect those of the AJC, RNS, RJ.org, SLU, or CCJS.

Finally, the best for last. My love goes out to my wife Marcia, whose excellent taste in clothing not only greatly improved my wardrobe, but she changed my life as well. And three other women bring me constant joy: our daughters Rabbi Eve and Jennifer and our granddaughter Emma Mollie.

_____________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Forewords

Introduction

Chapter 1 Why is This Autobiography Different from the One I Would Have Written Four Years Ago?

Chapter 2 Birth in the Steel City and Growing Up in Robert E. Lee’s Hometown

Chapter 3 Choosing the Rabbinate Thanks to a Pair of Mentors

Chapter 4 I Led Two Lives as a Seminary Student

Chapter 5 Wearing Air Force Blue in Japan and Korea

Chapter 6 Being a Rabbi in America’s Midwest

Chapter 7 How a One-Year Job Became a Thirty-Two Year Career

Chapter 8 A Romantic Miracle on East 56th Street

Chapter 9 Roman Catholics and Jews: Fellow Revolutionaries

Chapter 10 Bitter Memories: Auschwitz Convent Crisis

Chapter 11 Two Earnest Attempts to Confront the Holocaust: One Catholic, the Other Jewish… Did They Succeed?

Chapter 12 Mainline Protestants and Jews! It’s Complicated!

Chapter 13 Black Churches

Chapter 14 Evangelicals and Jews: The Last Frontier in Christian-Jewish Relations

Chapter 15 The Battle of Camp David: A Victory in 1991, But Could it Be Won Today?

Chapter 16 Two Passion Plays Convinced Me the Play’s (Not) the Thing!

Chapter 17 The Interreligious Struggle to Free Soviet Jewry

Chapter 18 Special Assignments: Things I Never Learned in Rabbinical School

Mr. Moon and Destructive Cults

1985 Farm Crisis

New York State Task Force on Life and the Law

Biafra Relief

Music for the Vatican Holocaust Concert

Attending Good Friday Services

Chapter 19 The Future of Christian-Jewish Relations

Chapter 20 Ten Personal Interreligious Commandments

Organizing Interreligious Programs

Chapter 21 Some Basic Questions that Will Never Appear on Jeopardy!

The Biblical Period

The Medieval/Pre-modern Period

The Contemporary Period

Afterword Mary C. Boys, ThD

Selected Bibliography Suggestions for Further Reading

Index

About iPub Global Connection

**~~**

DEDICATION

This book is lovingly dedicated to Marcia, who forever changed my life by driving her car around the block a second time…

**~~**

Forewords

Rabbi David Rosen

American Jewish Committee

Jerusalem-based Director of International Interreligious Affairs

Among the far-reaching changes of our modern world, the Jewish experience has been dramatic. For more than half a century, Rabbi James Rudin has not just been a part of momentous developments in this regard but has been a leading actor in the amazing transformation of the condition of the Jewish People, of American society, and of the place of the Jewish community within the US and the world.

His childhood recollections reflect a world in which anti-Jewish prejudice was still the norm, but one which was beginning to undergo significant shifts influenced both by internal dynamics in American society as well as, in no small part, by global geopolitical developments.

His commitment to his religious heritage, which led to his choice of vocation, together with the profound loyalty to the land of his birth that was instilled in him from the earliest age, led to his service as a US Air Force Chaplain in Japan and Korea, before serving American Jewish communities as a congregational rabbi.

Surely his background and experience made him remarkably suited for the subsequent direction of his professional career, participating in, and leading the groundbreaking work in the field of interreligious relations—in particular, Jewish-Christian relations—under the auspices of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) where he became and served for many years as the organization’s Director of Interreligious Affairs.

Long before I was honored to succeed him in this position, he served as a model and inspiration for me in my own interfaith work.

These chapters recount some of the most impressive highlights of his rich life, ranging from his involvement in the civil rights movement, his efforts in the struggle for freedom for Soviet Jewry, to his representation of Jewry through his chairmanship of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations to the highest levels in Christendom, and some of his notable achievements in these regards. His leadership and collegiality have made him one of the most admired Jewish figures of our time, across faith communities and denominations.

His writings serve as a veritable archive of information on the most historic period of the transformation of the relationship between Jewry and the Christian world—in particular, the Catholic Church. These are greatly enhanced by his articles as a commentator that have offered greater nuance to the events and personalities involved. His ongoing reflections, carried in the media, continue to provide invaluable insight into the issues that preoccupy those interested in interreligious affairs and the relationship between religion and society in general.

Beyond his remarkable role in these fields and numerous awards and recognition that he has received accordingly, this book reflects his personal qualities that make his impressive achievements stand out to an even greater extent. I refer to his personal integrity and goodness which are enriched by a lovely natural modesty and great humor. Modesty is not something one associate with those who have traversed the corridors of history and who have wined and dined with national and global religious, civic, and political leaders. But Jim is far too levelheaded to allow any of this to lead to any self-intoxication. However, his well-developed critical capacities have not in any way weakened his passion for the causes in which he believes, and which are dear to his heart. This commitment, and these qualities of modesty and humor, have enhanced the universal respect and affection in which he is held.

Above all, they have made him one of the most delightful and insightful colleagues to work with and a blessing for all who have enjoyed his wisdom and guidance, which this publication will continue to provide for generations to come.

_____________________

Marvin R. Wilson, PhD

Professor Emeritus, Department of Biblical Studies Gordon College, Author of Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith

What a personal privilege and delight to commend this engaging volume and its accomplished author. The life story of Rabbi A. James Rudin is at once highly readable, deeply engaging, and remarkably informative. Jim Rudin’s lively prose is fast-moving, down-to-earth, and richly insightful. Here is an intriguing account of a scholar-teacher and prominent religious leader which models a balanced career that brilliantly weds theory and practice. Below, it is my plan to place the significance of Jim’s professional life in a broad historical context. In doing so, I will add my personal perspective on how Jim has positively contributed to the shaping of interreligious relations nationally and internationally throughout his very active career.

Since the early 1970s, it has been my good fortune and great joy to know Jim and work closely with him. On many occasions, we served as interfaith partners engaged in orchestrating, contributing to, and bringing to completion a variety of interfaith conferences, dialogues, writing projects, and special events. Over the years, I especially came to appreciate Jim as a delightful friend and professional colleague. Now in retirement, as I look back and reflect on this mensch of a man, I realize I often looked to Jim as a trusted, personal mentor regarding the varieties of Judaism and the nuances of Jewish life and community. But I also came to value Jim as an experienced, highly respected leader of interfaith dialogue as I saw him in action at our many joint engagements throughout America aimed at promoting positive Christian-Jewish understanding and