I began participating in interfaith activities some years ago when my rabbi, Joel Zaiman, suggested I join my synagogue group engaged in an ICJS-sponsored dialogue with several churches. I was intrigued by his reason -- in order to meet Christians as Christians. This was a rare opportunity. Religion has been so privatized in this society that one hardly ever encounters a meaningful interfaith discussion. Opinions about other faiths have been so firm that a respectful engagement with the other seems almost impossible. Perhaps an annual childhood experience had somehow disposed me favorably. While the Catholic church around the corner from our small synagogue in the neighborhood of New York's Lower Eastside in which I was reared in the thirties seemed forbidding, I enjoyed a Sicilian saint's festival. Invariably it coincided with the Jewish High Holy Days, and we children would happily rush outside when we heard the stirring, enrapturing, wonderful music. The saint's religion couldn't be all that bad!

I have indeed met Christians as Christians in many ICJS lec-tures and dialogue groups over the years, and I've attained an understanding and appreciation of Christians and Christianity beyond an academic familiarity. But I found that the process encouraged me to strengthen my own understanding of Juda-ism; I also met myself as a Jew.

Several types of ICJS experiences have most impressed me. I have felt awe and wonderment as I would often hear Christians confronting and reworking their scriptural tradition regarding the Jews and exploring Judaic roots in their tradition. The Jew in me would sense he was witnessing a kind of t'shuva [repentance] long before Dabru Emet created an obligation for some type of authoritative Jewish response.

I've also been struck in these sessions by the fact that much of this fundamental rethinking has been fueled by contem-porary scholars, both Christian and Jewish. I was "blown away" some years ago, in an experience that seemed impossible not long ago, listening to a rabbi who is a New Testament scholar lecturing to a largely Christian audience of both clergy and laity on the inconsistencies and parallels among the various Gospel narratives of the Passion story!

I've also been pleased, when we study our various text traditions together, by the ICJS encouragement of our use of modern perspectives and personal experiences in interpreting texts from our particular faith standpoints.

The ICJS invites Jews and Christians to celebrate and respect each other's religious identity and diversity, not merely to tolerate them.

Joseph Greenblum is a member of Chizuk Amuno Congregation and participated in the ICJS Congregational Project this past spring.