There is an old Yiddish joke in which a Christian priest attempts to convince a Jew to convert by saying, “I will give you a hundred gold pieces if you agree to believe in three things: that Jesus was born of a woman, but of Immaculate Conception; that Jesus gave five thousand men five loaves of bread and two fish, and they all ate to their hearts’ content; and that Jesus died on the cross, but rose from his grave three days later and lived.”

The Jew pauses to think and then says, “You are asking a lot of me. I don’t think I can do this myself. Allow me to bring a partner.”

The priest consents, and the following day the Jewish man returns with his Christian neighbor. “Your holiness,” he says, “please hand over the hundred gold pieces you promised me.”

“So you believe?” asks the priest.

Despite these considerable differences, Christianity and Judaism also have a great deal in common. They both draw their inspiration from the Jewish Bible and the historical narrative it relates; they both believe in God’s providence and benevolence, which guides humanity toward peace and prosperity; and, perhaps most important, they both espouse absolute values. These values, they insist, constitute the moral order according to which all men should live. These shared beliefs—usually referred to as the Judeo-Christian tradition—have served as the foundation of Western civilization ever since the Middle Ages.

More than anything else, however, Christianity and Judaism are united by the threats facing them and the world they wish to construct. Today, both religions are on the same front of an all-out war that radical Islam has declared on the West and its values. This confrontation has been forced upon the two faiths against their present inclination. Over hundreds of years, Judaism and Christianity have had to accept a degree of religious tolerance. For Judaism, this resulted from political weakness and the constraints of a life in exile under the auspices of non-Jewish nations. For Christianity, the turning point was the religious wars that threatened to tear Europe apart. Islam, by contrast, did not undergo a similar process, and has thus not internalized the mostly pragmatic need to tolerate the existence of other cultures and allow them to live in accordance with their own religious beliefs. Consequently, Islamists have declared a war whose ultimate goal is the subjection of all infidels and the imposition of the rule of Islam over the entire world. This terrorist campaign has placed Christians and Jews in the same camp, fighting side by side in order to defend their cultural and political heritage. One can only hope that moderate Islam, which does not cultivate such violent religious hatred, will join forces with Christianity and Judaism and take a stand against the murderous jihad waged by the likes of al-Qaida, the Taliban, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

But no less, and indeed perhaps more, dangerous than religious terrorism is the spiritual barrenness that has come to define much of contemporary Western culture. Modern life is blessed with unparalleled wealth, diversity, and creative energy, but it is also cursed with confusion, boredom, and lethargy. Moreover, the tremendous technological power humanity now commands makes today’s nihilism especially threatening: The vast disparity between this power to enact dramatic changes in both our surroundings and ourselves, on the one hand, and the ethical judgment exercised by those who wield it on the other, should concern anyone who believes that humanity bears a special responsibility towards creation. It should concern anyone who recognizes that this responsibility stems from the humility expected of man once he comprehends that he is not, after all, the measure of all things.

Clearly, the burden of contending with these threats to our shared values and beliefs does not fall solely on the shoulders of people of faith. Many nonbelievers actively take part in this endeavor, motivated by both a genuine ethical concern and a profound sense of moral responsibility. There can be no doubting, however, that the great religions have at their disposal immense ideological resources that modern secularism is simply unable to command. They can summon a self-conviction and determination forged over hundreds, even thousands of years of enduring spiritual tests. There is simply no substitute for the kind of experience and resolve they bring to the contemporary struggle over the fate of mankind.

The challenges we face, now and in the future, require both Jews and Christians to set aside their theological differences, even ones that are ultimately irreconcilable. Reality demands that we try to forge unity wherever possible. This, of course, will not be easy. Removing old barriers and eliminating old grudges will require an active, arduous effort. Christianity must realize that the vast majority of Jews will never abandon their religion and traditions and accept Jesus as their lord and savior. Judaism, for its sake, must let go of its historical bitterness, and stop demanding public expressions of Christian remorse at every turn. It must learn to see the great religion to which it gave birth as a partner and an ally, one deserving of our appreciation and respect.


Assaf Sagiv
October 2009