HISTORIC HINDU JEWISH DECLARATION
ContentsHISTORIC HINDU JEWISH DECLARATIONHINDU LEADERS MEET CHIEF RABBIS AND PM OF ISRAEL (February 17-20, tml#3AJC HOSTS JEWISH AND HINDU WORLD LEADERS IN t2.aspx?c ijITI2PHKoG&b 849241&ct 5043777HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION JOINSIN HISTORIC HINDU-JEWISH SUMMIT HELD IN ISRAELhttp://www.hafsite.org/media press release israel.htmTHE FULL TEXT OF THE dfTHE HINDU-JEWISH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT (Feb. 5-7, 2007, New Delhi, 20Report-Final.pdfTHE HINDU-JEWISH SUMMIT (Feb. 5-7, 2007, New Delhi, India), The Jerusalem Post.THE FULL TEXT OF THE DECLARATION (Feb. 5-7, 2007, New Delhi, India)HINDU-JEWISH DECLARATION REMOVES MISCONCEPTIONSSwami Dayananda Saraswati(New Indian Express, 9 March 2008)HINDUS-JEWISH MEET REMOVES p?section 12&catid 21&id 6767HINDU-JEWISH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT OPPOSES dules.php?name Content&pa showpage&pid 171&page 6A HINDU SAINT WHOSE HEART BEATS FOR -saint-whose-heart-beats-for-israelINDIA AND ISRAEL: COMMON ALLIES; COMMON TARGETS.By Dr. Richard L. ia&Israel.htmHINDU DHARMA ACHARYA nandagospel.org/RenaissanceofHinduDharma.pdf1
HISTORIC HINDU JEWISH DECLARATIONSwami Dayananda Saraswati organised the first Hindu-Jewish meet in February2007 at New Delhi. Facilitated by “The World Council of Religious Leaders”(http://www.wcorl.org), this was a great event as both the Hindu and Jewishtraditions, which do not have aggressive programs of conversion, and advocateda way of life to accomplish the view. This Hindu-Jewish dialogue was aimed at highlighting common cultural features andcommon philosophies behind the two religions while gladly accepting thedifferences. A joint declaration was issued acknowledging the shared values of twotraditions and for deepening the bilateral relationship predicated on the recognition ofOne Supreme Being. A second summit was held at Jerusalem, February 17-20, 2008. The Government ofIsrael supported the meet and the entire Rabbinate and Jewish scholars participatedin the dialogue. The Hindu delegation consisted of members of the Hindu DharmaAcharya Sabha, including representatives of Shankaracharyas. This second meetwas as extraordinary as the first one in that it emphasized and illustrated theimportance of honest dialogue between any two religious traditions to resolveseemingly irresolvable differences. The Jerusalem meet concluded with a landmarkdeclaration that Hindus worship “One Supreme Being” and are not really idolatrous.The implications of this are profound in content and far-reaching in effect. Judaism was born of the complete repudiation of idol worship and rabbinic literatureabounds with denunciation of idolatry. Due to an incomplete understanding,Hinduism has been perceived by the Jewish traditions as idolatrous and promotingmany gods. For centuries, both the Hindus and Jewish people have experienced atthe hands of aggressive religions extremely violent consequences of wrongperceptions. The Historic declaration made at the Jerusalem meet sets to rest thewrong notion that Hinduism is idolatrous. The declaration reads: “It is recognized thatOne Supreme Being in its formless and manifest aspects has been worshipped byHindus over millennia. The Hindus relate to only the One Supreme Being whenhe/she prays to a particular manifestation. This does not mean that Hindus worship‘idols’. They worship devataas who are manifestation of the One Supreme Being”.The Chief Rabbi announced that it was a matter of relief to know that their hithertoheld perception was wrong. (On this declaration one can read Swami DayanandaSaraswati’s article published by the media). This declaration is indeed a hallmarkdeclaration showing way for meaningful dialogue between leaders of differentreligious traditions and to help remove wrong perceptions arising from lack ofunderstanding and / or misunderstanding. The 3rd Hindu-Jewish meeting will be held in 2009 in the US.2
HINDU LEADERS MEET CHIEF RABBIS AND PM OF html#3KAPAA, HAWAII, USA, February 26, 2008: From February 17th to 21st, Hinduswamis and religious leaders from India visited Israel, at the invitation of theIsraeli foreign ministry, the American Jewish Association, the World Council ofReligious Leaders and the Rabbinate of Israel. They met with the Chief Rabbis ofIsrael, the President of Israel, members of the foreign ministry, the Mayor ofHaifa and many other respected dignitaries.It was a beautiful meeting of two ancient, non-proselytizing, non-convertingreligions who shared their beliefs, their traditions and their ideals with each other,finding much common ground between the two ancient traditions.The program began in Jerusalem on the evening of the 17th February. On the18th, they joined a discussion between Hindu leaders and Jewish leaders at theMt. Zion Hotel in Jerusalem. Important issues such as icon worship, calendars,the meaning of the swastika and many others were discussed with greatunderstanding and mutual respect. In the evening, the group was hosted by theIsraeli Parliament where they met the Israeli Prime Minister and members of theforeign ministry, and they were greeted by a special welcome by the IsraeliParliament in session.On the 19th February, they had a meeting with His Excellency, the President ofIsrael. In that evening they were hosted for a special dinner by the AmericanJewish Committee, headed by Rabbi David Rosen. On the 20th February, theytraveled to Haifa where they met with local communities of other religions inIsrael, including the Druze and the Bahai'i as well as local Christian and Muslimleaders. The final dinner was hosted by the President of Haifa University. Thefirst Hindu-Jewish summit had taken place in Delhi in the previous year, onFebruary 2007.The group was formed by were Swami Avdheshanand Giriji (AcharyaMahamandaleshwar, Juna Akhara), Swami Paramatmanandji (Secretary, HinduDharma Acharya Sabha), Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji (President and SpiritualHead, Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh), Swami Madhav Priya Dasji (Swaminarayansampradhaya), along with other revered leaders and an eminent team of Hinduscholars. Swami Dayananda Saraswati was scheduled to play a major role in theevent; however, unfortunately he was unable to attend at the last minute.**3*
AJC HOSTS JEWISH ANDHINDU WORLD LEADERS IN t2.aspx?c ijITI2PHKoG&b 849241&ct 5043777&printmode 1February 19, 2008 – Jerusalem – The American Jewish Committee hosted acelebratory evening event at the Second International Hindu-Jewish Summit inJerusalem last night.The February 18 – 20 summit brings together 20 Hindu leaders, including someof the most important names in the contemporary Hindu world, with Jewishleaders including the Chief Rabbis of the State of Israel and the Rabbinate’sCommission for Interreligious Dialogue."Almost by definition, diplomatic relationships are superficial and transient,” saidRabbi David Rosen, AJC’s International Director of Interreligious Affairs. “Bydeveloping and deepening interreligious understanding and intercultural ties, onegives far more substance and durability to such relationships.”The International Hindu-Jewish summits are an initiative of the World Council ofReligious Leaders (WCORL), and are held under the auspices of the All IndiaDharma Acharya Seba and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.The first summit took place last year in Delhi and explored commonalities in therespective Jewish and Hindu traditions and identities. In Delhi the delegatescommitted to continue meeting and develop initiatives to promote social justice,religious freedom and mutual education about Hinduism and Judaism.This week’s summit in Jerusalem has been organized in cooperation with AJCand the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The main colloquium took place yesterday in Jerusalem, followed by acelebratory dinner at Beit Moses, AJC’s Israel/Middle East Office. While in Israel,the leaders also are meeting with President Shimon Peres, governmentministers, as well as Christian and Muslim religious leadership.Rabbi Rosen, who is also a member of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel'sCommission for Interreligious Dialog, and participated in the first summit,expressed his deep satisfaction that AJC is playing such a key role in thisbilateral development.4
“Never before has such a high level delegation of Hindu leaders visited Israel, letalone for an official dialogue with the Israeli religious establishment and undernational auspices," said Rabbi Rosen.***HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION JOINSIN HISTORIC HINDU-JEWISH SUMMIT HELD IN ISRAELhttp://www.hafsite.org/media press release israel.htmNew York, NY (February 26, 2008): The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) wasrepresented in a delegation of Hindu spiritual and lay leaders that visited Israellast week to attend the Second International Hindu-Jewish Summit organized bythe World Council of Religious Leaders (WCORL) in conjunction with theAmerican Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Israeli Ministry of ForeignAffairs. The goal of the Summit, according to Bawa Jain, Secretary General ofWCORL, was to further develop and promote understanding and mutual respectbetween the leaders of The Chief Rabbinate of Israel and The Hindu DharmaAcharya Sabha, an apex unifying body of many of the most prominent Hindureligious leaders. This 2008 Summit was a continuation of the first Summit heldin Dehli, India in February 2007."This historic coming together of the two oldest religions will further effortstowards religious diplomacy and alleviate many of the deep-rootedmisunderstandings of the past 2000 years," said Bawa Jain, after the Summit.Jain invited Sheetal Shah, Director of Development for HAF, to travel to Israel asa Hindu representative to the Summit.The Hindu delegation, which arrived in Jerusalem on February 17, consisted ofseveral prominent Hindu leaders including Swami Avdheshanand Giri, SwamiParamatmananda Saraswati, Swami Chidanand Saraswati, and SwamiMadhavpriyadas. Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the convener of the DharmaAcharya Sabha, was unable to attend the Summit due to health concerns."The Summit was an extraordinary opportunity for leaders of both religions tocome together and uncover a number of similarities between Hinduism andJudaism,” said Sheetal Shah, upon her return to the HAF office in New York."This Summit personified the spirit of true pluralism as we discovered andcelebrated the theological, ritual and spiritual similarities that our religioustraditions share. HAF was honored and humbled to join our dharmacharyas onthis mission."5
In addition to the planned discussions between the leaders of the Rabbinate andthe Hindu delegation, which led to the formation of a new Declaration ofunderstanding, the groups also met with Israeli President Shimon Peres, MinisterIsaac Herzog at the Knesset, and Deputy Minster of Foreign Affairs MajalliWhbee. During the delegation’s audience with President Peres, they discussedsimilarities between Jewish and Hindu beliefs, mutual hopes for lasting peace inthe Middle East and the importance of a strong Israeli-Indian relationship."This Summit was remarkable first and foremost because of the level of theparticipation and not just the high level Hindu leaders," said Rabbi David Rosen,who heads the AJC's Department of Interreligious Affairs. "While the firstSummit last year was obviously the breakthrough, the level and extent of IsraeliRabbinic leadership that participated in the meeting in Jerusalem wasunparalleled."At the Summit, Rabbi Rosen formally read the Declaration upon which theleaders of the Rabbinate and the Hindu delegation had agreed. The nine-pointDeclaration broadly (a) reaffirms the common Hindu and Jewish belief in OneSupreme Being both in its formless and manifest aspects; (b) expresses theircommon world view of the sanctity of human life; (c) recognizes that all religionsare sacred for their people and therefore, no one should denigrate or interfere inthe religious practice of others; (d) recognizes that the Svastika is an ancientHindu symbol and was misappropriated by the Third Reich; and (e) calls forserious reconsideration of the Aryan Migration Theory--a largely discredited,racist theory that posits that an invasion by nomadic, non-Indian tribes conceivedthe Vedic civilization.“In particular, the agreement of the belief in One Supreme Being having variousmanifestations and the recognition of Svastika’s auspiciousness in the Hindutradition were monumental steps in building an understanding between the tworeligions,” said Shah, adding that HAF will work hard to highlight the Declarationin various fora over the next year.Despite snowy conditions in Jerusalem, the Hindu delegation visited and saidtheir prayers at the Kotel, also known as the Western Wall, one of the holiestsites for Jews. The delegation also paid their respects to those who perished inthe Holocaust during a visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the Holocaustvictims.As the delegation traveled to Haifa on the last day, they met with leaders of theDruze community and paid their respects at the Ba’hai Center. In Haifa, theMayor, Mr. Yonah Yahav, the city’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen,6
along with the city’s Christian and Muslim religious leaders greeted thedelegation."Above all, this meeting provided the opportunity not only for friendships todevelop between the religious leaders, but to shatter distorted stereotypes andmisconceptions that all too often have contributed to keeping the Hindu andJewish worlds apart," added Rabbi Rosen. "Most of us who were privileged to bepart of this momentous gathering had the feeling that we were part of thebeginning of a new historic era of understanding and cooperation between ourtwo faith communities."THE FULL TEXT OF THE DECLARATION can be found Summit%20Final%20Declaration%2002-27-08.pdf***THE HINDU-JEWISH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT(Feb. 5-7, 2007, New Delhi, 20Report-Final.pdf***THE HINDU-JEWISH SUMMIT(Feb 5-7, 2007, New Delhi), The Jerusalem PostChief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger and other leading rabbis from around theworld signed a declaration Tuesday with leading Hindu leaders in New Delhi thatdenounces terrorism and violence."Although, Muslim extremism was not singled out, it was at the forefront of manyparticipants' minds," said Rabbi David Rosen, international director ofinterreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee, speaking from NewDelhi.The resolution was signed during a summit organized by the World Council ofReligious Leaders."The most important Hindu leaders in India gathered for the first meeting of thiskind out of respect for the Jewish faith," saidMetzger in a telephone interview with The Jerusalem Post from the summit.7
"Several Hindu leaders expressed their dismay at Muslim violence," addedMetzger. "They told me that both Judaism and Hinduism were the mothers fromwhich all other religions suckled. But sometimes the offspring bite the breast thatfeeds them."In a joint declaration, the religious leaders affirmed their shared values,condemned violence, and pledged to address the challenges of poverty andillness.***THE FULL TEXT OF THE DECLARATION(February 5-6, 2007).Declaration of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation from the First JewishHindu Leadership Summit Delhi 17-18 Shvat, 5767; February 5-6, 2007.The first Hindu-Jewish Leadership Summit took place in Delhi on February 5 to 7,2007, at which the delegation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel convened withmajor religious leaders of Hindu Dharma. It is planned that this historic gatheringwill lead to ongoing bilateral meetings on shared values and common concerns,many of which were highlighted at this summit.The participants affirmed that:1. Their respective traditions teach faith in one supreme being who is the ultimatereality, who has created this world in its blessed diversity and who hascommunicated divine ways of action for humanity for different peoples in differenttimes and places.2. The religious identities of both Jewish and Hindu communities are related tocomponents of faith, scripture, people hood, culture, religious practices, land andlanguage.3. Hindus and Jews seek to maintain their respective heritage and pass it on tothe succeeding generations, while living in respectful relations with othercommunities.4. Neither seeks to proselytise, nor undermine or replace in any way the religiousidentities of other faith communities. They expect other faith communities torespect their religious identities and commitments, and condemn all activities thatgo against the sanctity of this mutual respect.8
5. Both the Hindu and Jewish traditions affirm the sanctity of life and aspire for asociety in which all live in peace and harmony with one another. Accordingly theycondemn all acts of violence in the name of any religion or against any religion.6. The Jewish and Hindu communities are committed to the ancient traditions ofJudaism and Hindu Dharma respectively, and have both, in their own ways, gonethrough the painful experiences of persecution, oppression and destruction.Therefore, they realise the need to educate the present and succeedinggenerations about their past, in order that they will make right efforts to promotereligious harmony.7. The representatives of the two faith communities recognise the need forunderstanding one another in terms of lifestyles, philosophy, religious symbols,culture, etc. They also recognise that they have to make themselves understoodby other faith communities. They hope that through their bilateral initiatives, theseneeds would be met.8. Because both traditions affirm the central importance of social responsibility fortheir societies and for the collective good of humanity, the participants pledgedthemselves to work together to help address the challenges of poverty, sicknessand inequitable distribution of resources.9. The representatives of the two faith communities also agree to constitute aStanding Committee on Hindu-Jewish Relations.Rabbi Yona Metzger. . . . Swami Dayanand SaraswatiChief Rabbi of Israel. . . . Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha* * *HINDU-JEWISH DECLARATION REMOVES MISCONCEPTIONSSwami Dayananda Saraswati(New Indian Express, 9 March 2008)An extraordinary inter-faith meet between Hindu and Jewish religious leaders - anevent with the potential to pioneer a paradigm shift from conflict to harmony amongall religions - took place at Jerusalem a couple of weeks ago. The historic meetemphasized and illustrated the importance of honest dialogue between any tworeligious traditions to resolve seemingly irresolvable differences.9
Last year Hindu and Jewish religious leaders, representing the two oldest traditionsin the world, commenced an inter-religious dialogue in New Delhi. Following that theChief Rabbinate of Israel and the delegation from the Hindu Dharma AcharyaSabha held the second round of inter-religious dialogue at Jerusalem in February2008.The Jerusalem meet concluded with a landmark declaration that Hindus worship‘one supreme being' and are not really idolatrous.The implications of this are profound in content and far-reaching in effect.Judaism was born of the complete repudiation of idol worship and rabbinic literatureabounds with denunciations of idolatry in an entire tractate of the Talmud devoted tothis.The importance of this issue in Jewish and other Abrahamic traditions cannot beoverstated. Since its first encounter wi
Paramatmananda Saraswati, Swami Chidanand Saraswati, and Swami Madhavpriyadas. Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the convener of the Dharma Acharya Sabha, was unable to attend the Summit due to health concerns. "The Summit was an e
UNIT 1: JEWISH MUSIC 101 10 CONCEPTUAL FRAME FOR 'DEFINING' MUSIC CONTEXT: Music by Jews or music in Jewish social/religious contexts. For example: Music by (Jewish composers) such as Debbie Friedman or Craig Taubman, whether or not based directly on a Jewish text, sung in Jewish camps and synagogues is/ becomes Jewish music.
2 HCCC (Shiva Vishnu Temple) Livermore CA 3 Yogeesh Ashram Riverside CA 4 CT Valley Hindu Temple Society Middletown CT 5 Association of United Hindu & Jain Temples Washington DC 6 Hindu Temple of Florida Tampa FL 7 Sanatan Dharam Mandir Tampa FL 8 Hindu Temple of Atlanta Riverdale GA 9 Hindu
Automated Import System –AIS Getting to know the AIS declaration names Declaration Name Declaration Description H1 Declaration for release for free circulation & for end-use H2 Declaration for customs warehousing H3 Special procedure declaration for temporary admission H4 Declaration for inward processing H5 Declaration for the introduction of goods in the
doxy, the German-Jewish renaissance, Jewish religion after the Holocaust, the emergence of the Jewish individual, the birth of Jewish nationalism, and Jewish religion in America. More than an introduction, How Judaism Became a Religion presents a compelling new perspective on the history of modern Jewish thought.
American Jewish history. The American Jewish Historical Society is the oldest national ethnic historical organization in the United States. The Society's library, archives, photograph, and art and artifacts collections document the American Jewish experience. American Jewish Year Book (American Jewish Committee Archives) Online access to .
into what constitutes Jewish music, and how it relates to the American Jewish experience. We include music written for and used in sacred Jewish spaces but also music written by Jewish composers or songwriters for secular settings and general audiences. Part 1 — Music in Jewish Religious Settings: Kol Nidre
7 Declaration of Matthew David Eyles (America's Health 086-093 Insurance Plans, Inc.) 8 Declaration of Alfred J. Gobeille (VT) 094-098 9 Declaration of Frederick Isasi (Families USA Foundation) 099-110 10 Declaration of Jennifer Ken,t (CA) 111-113 11 Declaration of Mila Kofman (DC) 114-118 12 Declaration of Jennifer Lee (VA) 119-122
252,894. 49,901. 0. community - empower hindu american communities and partner institutions. 1. enhance the well-being, safety, and security of hindu communities and institutions. 2. build a culture of advocacy. 3. promote the recognition of hinduism and hindu contributions. 251,966. 0. 0.
