Anglican-Jewish Commission meeting in Dublin

The Anglican- Jewish Commission of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury is meeting in Dublin this week for the first time since its foundation in 2006.

This evening members of the Commission will attend a reception at Áras an Uachtaráin, hosted by President Michael D Higgins. Other guests will include the Church of Ireland primate Rev Richard Clarke, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Most Rev Diarmuid Martin, the papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown, Rabbi Zalman Lent of the Dublin Hebrew congregation and Rabbi David Singer of Belfast Jewish community.

Tomorrow, Commission members will visit the Jewish Museum in Dublin's Portobello before attending a recepion at St Ann's Church on Dawson St which is being hosted by the Dean of Christ Church Very Rev Dermot Dunne.

Since yesterday the Commission has being taking part in a conference, organised between the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and Lambeth Palace in London, at the Taca Hall in the synagogue at Terenure on the theme ‘Memory, Community and Identity’. It concludes tomorrow (wed).

The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Most Rev Dr Michael Jackson is Anglican co-Chair of the Commission, shared with acting co-Chair Rabbi Rasson Arousi, Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Ono in Israel.

The Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission with the Chief Rabbis of Israel was established in 2006 to facilitate deep understanding between two historic World Faiths. The meetings have to date alternated between The Holy Land and England.