Our special relationship with the Jews

Father Thomas Morrette

Since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has made strident and successful advances in our relationship with the Jewish community. Here in the Diocese of Albany, the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue, which was started six decades ago, continues to meet and advance mutual understanding and solidarity between the Catho­lic and Jewish communities in our area. Great advances have been made here in Albany, and we are proud that we are one of the first and most successful diocesan groups to advance solidarity with Jews in our country.

In 2024, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) published a groundbreaking document entitled “Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition.” This document is meant to further combat rising antisemitism in our culture and to foster deeper understanding of the insidious nature of antisemitic language which is used without thought in our world today. This document is a great contribution to Catholic-Jewish relations, a further cry from the Church against irrational and sinful hate for Jews and the Jewish community. It furthers the hope expressed in Vatican II’s document “Nostra Aetate,” issued in 1965, which transformed the Church’s approach to the Jewish people for the better.

“Translate Hate” states: “Antisemitism is the hatred of Jews. But it is not only a hatred but it manifests itself in various ways. It includes medieval blood libel claims rooted in Christianity and present-day conspiracy theories about Jewish control and the world economy. It encompasses Holocaust denial and distortion and virulent anti-Israel animus. It can exist in places where Jews are prominent and visible and in places where Jews themselves are entirely absent. It may be present in physical encounters at work or on the street or in the virtual world of the internet and social media. Nine out of 10 American Jews believe that antisemitism is a problem in the United States today, with an increasing number saying it is a ‘very serious’ problem. Their concerns align with FBI data which show increased levels of antisemitism in the U.S., however, 30 percent of U.S. adults have not heard the term or have heard the term but do not know what it means.”

The document is available for purchase from either the American Jewish Committee or from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Committee. 

In its conclusion, the document gives many suggestions to those who want to join in combating antisemitism. “We can all play a role in reducing such hate,” it states. The document reminds us that antisemitism is a crime and talking to local law enforcement when seeing a hate crime or antisemitic incidents in your area is a civic duty. Check with www.justice.gov/action-center/report-crime-or-submit-complaint for help on reporting hate crimes and incidents to your local police and FBI.

Above all, the document says that antisemitism is admittedly a Jewish problem. However, the document reminds us that it is also a problem — more critically — for non-Jews to solve. We are in this together. The Jewish community, often referred to as “our elder brothers and sisters” in the Catholic world, needs our support and commitment to this matter. Faith, ancestry and family bind Christians and Jews together. Let us stand with our elder brothers and sisters against all that is inspired by hate and irrational prejudice, not only to them but to all.

Father Morrette is pastor at The Catholic Community of Our Lady of Victory in Troy, Our Lady of the Snow Mission in Grafton and Christ Sun of Justice Parish in Troy.