Within two months of the release of Dabru Emet, the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies had received official and unoffi-cial responses from many for whom this statement had a profound impact. There were letters from lawyers, clergy, poets, artists, Jews and Christians, men and women. The let-ter writers shared their own stories, theologies, comments, and understanding of history. The responses covered the whole spectrum. Some expressed anger. Then there were those who said, "Yes!" and were thankful for "the door that needed to be opened."

Among the letters of support was one received from The National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Secretariat for Ecu-menical and Interreligious Affairs. This committee of seventeen Roman Catholic bishops issued a statement of the strongest support and appreciation for Dabru Emet: "It is a remarkable achievement, as those of us in the Catholic community who best know the Jewish community through years of dialogue can attest ... For our part, as representative Catholic leaders involved in the dialogue, we wish to urge Catholics throughout the United States to read it with care and loving respect."

Other official statements have been issued on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion in North America. Dominican Father Georges Cottier, the Pope's person-al theologian, expressed gratitude to the Jewish scholars who called for a new Jewish attitude toward Christians.

Dabru Emet received much attention in the national and international press, and in December, Senator Joseph Lieber-man, in an address to Jewish and Christian leaders in New York, commented on the statement and the effect it has had to bring Jews and Christians together.