Misplaced Hope of Seder

In the April 30 edition of The Times, there is a rather lengthy commentary titled “Seder Becomes a Meal of Hope.” I have had the opportunity to celebrate Passover with my Jewish friends at the Seder, most recently at the San Diego Community Seder. They have truly been meals of hope and freedom. However, the tone of your article disturbs me a great deal.

The impression I was left with after reading the article was that the hope provided by the Seder was the conversion of Christians to Judaism, almost gleefully recorded. One of the most sensitive issues facing Jewish-Christian relations is the whole problem of conversions. In my work with Jewish and Christian--specifically Catholic--couples contemplating marriage, I emphasize that the Jewish partner must, in no way, give up his or her Judaism in order to marry a non-Jew. In fact, both are encouraged to support the other in his or her religious belief.

Unfortunately, equal sensitivity is seldom reciprocated. At the recent National Workshop for Christian-Jewish Relations in Charleston, S. C., one of the most troubling issues was the seminar presented on intermarriage. It boiled down to the fact that, in order for a Jew to marry a Christian, the Christian must concede to raise the children Jewish or no marriage could take place. Furthermore, having clergy from both traditions present was discouraged and conversion to Judaism of the Christian was preferred. I have run across similar mentalities in San Diego. This article in The Times reinforces this observation.

If Jewish-Christian dialogue is ever to succeed, we must mutually agree to play by the rules. Both Jews and Christians must learn to work together, accept each other’s differences, not to try to coerce conversion of the other and respect each other’s heritage, tradition and rights. This is the way each of our faith communities can find hope; not by gloating over conversions in the newspaper.

THE REV. DENNIS L. MIKULANIS

Catholic Diocese of San Diego