THE
Jewish
OBSERVER Vol. 89 No. 7
www.jewishobservernashville.org
JULY 2024 25 Sivan - 25 Tamuz 5784
Building Bridges: The Importance of Christian-Jewish Connections and Understanding By BARBARA DAB
L
ike many teens and young adults, David Peters made his first visit to Israel as a college student when he participated in a summer training program. He met his now wife during that trip and fell in love with the country. “That trip transformed my life,” he says, “I fell in love and wanted to find any way possible to go back.” Peters has since returned to Israel four times, including on Passages, a Christian program similar to the Jewish Birthright, that aims to create connections to Israel for Christian youth and teach about Christianity and the history, culture, and religion of the Jewish people. Elysia Martin is director of alumni engagement for Passages. She says the
program was created by a Jewish woman and a Christian man to foster understanding about both the biblical land and the modern State of Israel. “They felt there was a need for college students to visit their faith’s birthplace and to learn more about the Jewish community.” Peters’ experience on Passages helped him confront biases during a formative time in his life. “I think it’s truly needed in our world today. It forces you to critically think. It helps you grow spiritually.” The connection between Christians and Jews, and between Christians and Israel, has a long history. According to Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament Studies Emerita, and Mary Jane Werthan, Professor of Jewish Studies, Emerita, at Vanderbilt University, “Jesus
Nashville businessman David Peters pictured with his Israeli partner Hanan Elkayam in Israel.
and his original followers were all Jews. They did not see, and other Jews did not see, belief in Jesus as lord as antithetical to Jewish identity.” In fact, she says the separation between Jews and gentiles evolved over several centuries. “While some official church teaching sought to marginalize and ultimately, expel, Jews from Christian lands, some Christians in those same lands worked to help, or to hide, their Jewish neighbors. Similarly, while some Jews condemned Christianity as a form of idolatry, others saw it as the means of bringing knowledge of the God of Israel to the gentile world.” Levine says Christian support for Jews differed based on geography and across time. “For some Christians over the past several centuries, support for Continued on page 17
Jewish Federation joins in Nashville Pride Festival
The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, Jewish Family Service, and The Temple joined with thousands to march and celebrate in this year’s Nashville Pride parade and festival.
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Principled Neutrality, Campus Activism, and Community Engagement, page 2
More photos on page 13 Connecting and Learning: Highlights from the AJPA Conference in Nashville, page 3
Back To School Issue Section, page 21