In alert to the growing threat of anti-Semitism, Rabbi Elliot Dorff, rector and professor of philosophy at the University of Judaism, and Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, will meet to discuss the issue in a dialogue at Fuller’s Travis Auditorium on Monday, October 18.

“It is important that Christians speak out against the rise of anti-Semitism,” says Fuller Seminary President Mouw. “This is a serious threat that has a long history.”

Rabbi Dorff, a recognized ethicist and also vice president of the Academy for Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Studies agreed, “World War II should have taught us all how evil anti-Semitism—or any form of genocide—is.”

He showed concern that the world has forgotten too quickly about anti-Jewish incidents.

“Unfortunately, Christians have often been silent in past about the persecution of Jewish people—indeed on some occasions we have even been the persecutors! Many of us have been critical of some of the policies of the present Israeli government, and this is legitimate. But it is also important that we distinguish between legitimate political critique and a hatred of Jews,” says Mouw.

Mouw believes that the conference will give people an excellent opportunity to learn more about the current crisis.

“We need to renew our ties and our understanding of each other through honest and open dialogue. This event is one such effort in that important process,” says Dorff.

The event is cosponsored by the Fuller Seminary President’s Office and Peace and Justice Committee, a student organization concerned with issues of ethical and social importance. It will be free and open to the public.