Voices: Rabbi Barry Cytron

"Since Vatican Council II, the importance of interfaith dialogue, particularly Catholic-Jewish dialogue, has been emphasized by church leaders, especially Pope John Paul II.  The Vatican Council II document Nostra Aetate (The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions), called upon Catholics to engage in 'dialogue and collaboration with followers of other religions,' particularly Jews, and called for 'mutual understanding and appreciation.' To a large extent, the mission of the Jay Phillips Center has been a response to this charge. 

The Jay Phillips Center is now expanding its mission to be equally committed to fostering interfaith learning among people of various religions, as Nostra Aetate challenges Christians to 'acknowledge, preserve, and encourage the spiritual and moral truths found among non-Christians' while at the same time 'witnessing to their own faith and way of life.' 

- Rabbi Barry Cytron, Director of the Jay Philliips Center