Isidor I. Rabi, the Nobel laureate in physics, was once asked, "Why did you become a scientist, rather than a doctor or lawyer or businessman, like the other immigrant kids in your neighborhood? . . . My mother made me a scientist without ever intending it. Every other Jewish mother in Brooklyn would ask her child after school: 'Nu? Did you learn anything today?' But not my mother. She always asked me a different question. 'Izzy,' she would say, 'Did you ask a good question today?' That difference -- asking good questions -- made me become a scientist."

One of the most powerful aspects of my participation in ICJS's Faith for the Future conference was listening to the multitude of questions that were raised by both the Jewish and Christian participants. The conversations that arose from these ques-tions were rich, honest, inspiring, and hopeful.

One of our large group sessions focused on the interactions between Jews and Christians from the third century until the Holocaust. As a Jew, I was surprised that many of my Catholic colleagues were unfamiliar with much of the antisemitism that has occurred over the last 1600 years. During my religious school education from childhood through adulthood, we were always taught about the outbursts of antisemitism that created the catchphrase "the wandering Jew." I was truly shocked (and somewhat angry) to find out that much of this information, which had become so much a part of who I am as a Jew and as a human being, had not been taught to my Catholic counterparts.

After debriefings in "faith-alike" groups, we met in plenary -- Christians and Jews together -- to share these "faith-alike" reactions. For me as a Jew, listening to what came forth from the Catholic participants was truly humbling. They had gener-ated a list of thought-provoking, challenging questions that quickly dispelled my disbelief and anger. The following is a par-tial list of their questions:

* Are there steps that Christians can take that would lead Jews to forgive them?
* What do Jews think when Christians call them "brother/sister?"
* Is there a particular Christian figure that Jews view as a role model or hero?
* What caused the fear that brought about persecution of a people so many fewer in numbers than we (Christians) were?
* How can we transmit what we have learned at this con-ference to other members of our congregations?

The appreciation I felt for my colleagues was unbounded. I was incredibly grateful to have been present to experience this encounter. By listening to these questions, my eyes were opened to forty compassionate, caring, genuine Catholics who wanted to take positive steps to make amends. For me, the answers to the questions were not as significant as the questions themselves; even the questions relating to repen-tance and forgiveness are not the heart of the matter. Rather, it is in the asking and the acknowledgment that my ancestors were greatly wronged in the past and that, now, it is we who must come together to recognize and appreciate our differ-ences in moving toward our respective Faiths for the Future.