The first Hindu-Jewish leadership summit
Introduction
Under the aegis of the World Council of Religious leaders and the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, the World Council of Religious Leaders and Aim for Seva, took the intiative to conduct a Hindu-Jewish leadership summit at Delhi on February 5 and 6, 2007. Several top religious leaders of Judaism and Hindu Dharma participated in the dialogue. Chief Rabbi of Israel, H.H. Yona Metzger and Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, convener of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, several Jewish community leaders in India, and the Ambassador of Israel in India with his senior staff were present. Shri Bawa Jain, Secretary General, World Council of Religious Leaders.
Full Text of the Declaration
The first Hindu-Jewish leadership summit took place in Delhi 17-18 Shvat, 5767;
corresponding to February 5-6, 2007; at which the delegation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel convened with major religious leaders of Hindu dharma. It is planned that this historic gathering will lead to ongoing bilateral meetings on shared values and common concerns, many of which were highlighted at this summit.
The participants affirmed that:
Their respective Traditions teach that there is One Supreme Being who is the
Ultimate Reality, who has created this world in its blessed diversity and who has
communicated Divine ways of action for humanity, for different peoples in different times and places.
The religious identities of both Jewish and Hindu communities are related to
components of Faith, Scripture,Peoplehood, Culture, Land and Language.
Hindus and Jews seek to maintain their respective heritage and pass it on to the
succeeding generations, while living in respectful relations with other communities.
Neither seeks to proselytize, nor undermine or replace in any way the religious
identities of other faith communities. They expect other communities to respect their religious identities
and commitments, and condemn all activities that go against the sanctity of this mutual respect.
Both the Hindu and Jewish Traditions affirm the sanctity of life and aspire for
a society in which all live in peace and harmony with one another. Accordingly they condemn all acts of
violence in the name of any religion or against any religion.
The Jewish and Hindu communities are committed to the ancient traditions of
Judaism and Hindu dharma respectively, and have both, in their own ways, gone through the painful
experiences of persecution, oppression and destruction. Therefore, they realize the need to educate the
present and succeeding generations about their past, in order that they will make right efforts to promote religious harmony.
The representatives of the two faith communities recognize the need for
understanding one another in terms of lifestyles, philosophy, religious symbols, culture, etc. They also recognize that they have to make themselves understood by other faith communities. They hope that through their bilateral initiatives, these needs would be met.
Because both traditions affirm the central importance of social responsibility
for their societies and for the collective good of humanity, the participants pledged themselves to work
together to help address the challenges of poverty, sickness and inequitable distribution of resources.
The representatives of the two faith communities also agree to constitute a
Standing Committee on Hindu-Jewish Relations.
Rabbi Yona Metzger ------ Chief Rabbi of Israel
Swami Dayananda Saraswati ------ Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha