Jeff Kleinman is copy desk chief of The Miami Herald and writes about family issues at MomsMiami.com. He asked the following question of Alan Berger and David Patterson, authors of Jewish-Christian Dialogue: Drawing Honey from the Rock (2008: Paragon House, $19.95):

Question: Your book explores a crisis in Jewish-Christian relations rooted in history, culture, theology and the lack of genuine dialogue. Does progress have to come from top theologians and religious leaders -- or can regular Jewish and Christian families make progress in this crisis through their everyday lives?

Answer:The dramatic change in post-Holocaust Jewish-Christian dialogue began at the top, most famously with a meeting between Pope John XXIII and the Jewish historian Jules Isaac. These two elderly men had a personal connection to the Holocaust. The pope had been a papal nuncio during the war and had helped save Jewish lives; Isaac, a Frenchman, lost all but one of his family members during the Holocaust. More recently, impetus for dialogue has come from the grass-roots level. There are various dialogue groups nationwide meeting to discuss a variety of concerns ranging from theological matters to issues of social justice. Universities have also taken a lead in this area.

Much progress has been made over the past 40 years. It is important for those in the dialogue to keep speaking, and to recognize that differences will remain. These differences ideally will result in a better understanding of the other's religious commitment as well as an enriching of one's own theological perspective. Unfortunately, anti-Semitism remains the longest lasting social pathology.

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