Commemorations of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass and other Holocaust memorials are high on the list of annual events in which its members and leaders of many communities participate.

Other activities throughout the year include

• Regular Luncheon Club meetings
  
• Interfaith Choral concerts
• Poetry readings and other cultural events
• Discussion meetings with members of Christian and Jewish communities
• Interfaith Passover evenings

The NSW Council was established in 1988 and is one of five member branches of the Australian Council. It is part of the worldwide network of Councils in 32 countries

Why CCJ?...

The Council of Christians and Jews in NSW is a vital part in the combined Christian-Jewish effort to foster social harmony through acceptance of ethnic and other differences in a multicultural society. Its aim, to combat all forms of religious, racial and social discrimination, is today a positive way of tackling the problems that create social disharmony in our midst. The insights of Judaism and Christianity can be a powerful force in dealing with problems of this kind.

What the CCJ does?

We help educate Christians and Jews in an appreciation of their common backgrounds and of each other's beliefs and practices. We promote the study and research of the various causes of conflicts among people of different creeds.

We promote education to benefit the community in those ethical teachings common to Christianity and Judaism, the key to mutual understanding and respect.

The Council publishes a quarterly Newsletter which is mailed to its membership. It deals with ecumenical and topical issues from Australia and the rest of the world; it also prints articles by leading scholars and reports on the Australian Council’s State branch activities. We invite you to join in the work of the Council by becoming a member and participating in its valuable work of promoting understanding and harmony in today’s society.

For further information please contact:

NSW Council of Christians and Jews Inc.
2 Devine Street
Erskineville NSW 2073
Tel: 02 9351 4162 Fax: 02 9351 2890 or browse through this website: www.ccjaustralia.org

Our activities...

Our educational program includes:

• The provision of education by means of workshops

• Lectures and debates on social, religious and ethical themes of common interest.
  
  
• he provision of speakers for Christian/Jewish organisations
  
  
• Visits to each other’s places of worship
  
  
• Publication journals, books and scholarly monographs promoting the visits of overseas scholars and authorities

“As Christians and Jews, following the example of the faith of Abraham, we are called to be a blessing to the world. This is a common task awaiting us. It is therefore necessary for us, Christians and Jews, to be the first blessing to one another.”

Pope John Paul II

“In a genuine dialogue each of the partners, even when he stands in opposition to the other, heeds, affirms and confirms his opponent as an existing other”

Martin Buber,
Jewish theologian and philosopher

Together we can make a difference...

The evidence is everywhere... on the front pages of newspapers, on the daily radio and television news, on the myriad websites, blogs, email streams — the plethora of modern communications media... we see and hear little else but dire reports of conflict.

Conflict between people within individual communities, conflict among segments of a country’s populations, conflict among sects ofvarious religions, conflicts among those withracial agendas.... the list is seemingly endless.How then, can some semblance of harmony be brought to this seeming conflagration of conflict in our world today?
What is the one vital component which will penetrate the perpetuation of self-interest and insular thinking?
The answer of course is education. The kind of education of understanding the other’s point of view, appreciating the other’s values and respecting them in exchange for similar respect from the ‘other’.

This is what the Council of Christians and Jews has been striving to do since its formation in the late 1940s. But it can’t continue its work without the support of its communities. Its work needs the strength ofnumbers. Only together can we achieve this.