Herman Allen 'Hal' Israel (C'92) Annual Lecture in Jewish-Catholic Relations

A lecture by James Carroll

Since the Holocaust, Christians have faced directly the tie between religious anti-Judaism and racial anti-Semitism (see the World Council of Churches declarations, Vatican II, etc.); but that is the beginning of the reckoning, not the end. Texts remain problematic. Doctrines still breed contempt. More broadly, Christian anti-Semitism spawned a positive-negative bi-polarity that defined Western attitudes toward Jews - but also shaped thinking about colonized peoples, with ongoing implications for today's conflicts. The work of dismantling structures of anti-Semitism must continue.

James Carroll, “one of the most adept and versatile writers on the American scene today” (Denver Post), is the author of ten novels and six works of non-fiction, including the National Book Award winning An American Requiem; the New York Times bestselling Constantine's Sword, now an acclaimed documentary; House of War, which won the first PEN-Galbraith Award; Practicing Catholic, which Hans Kung calls 'brilliantly written, passionate, and vivid.' His most recent book is Jerusalem, Jerusalem: How the Ancient City Ignited Our Modern World, published in Spring 2011. He lectures widely, both in the United States and abroad. James Carroll is Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at Suffolk University in Boston, where he lives with his wife, the novelist Alexandra Marshall.

To read more about the Israel Annual Lecture, please click here. 

The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session. A light reception will follow the event.

Contact 202-687-4245 or cjcinfo@georgetown.edu.

Sponsored by the Program for Jewish Civilization.