Hindu-Jewish Leadership Summits

Hinduism and Judaism are two of the oldest living religious traditions on earth. Neither seeks converts, and both have known suffering at the hands of others. Yet for centuries they had almost no formal contact at the level of their religious leadership, and each carried misconceptions about the other.

Through an approach H.E. Bawa Jain called "religion one on one," the World Council of Religious Leaders set out to change that: bringing two traditions face to face, at the highest level, to speak honestly about what unites and what divides them.

The First Summit: New Delhi, 2007

From February 5 to 7, 2007, the first Hindu-Jewish Leadership Summit met in New Delhi. It was organized by Swami Dayananda Saraswati, convener of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, and facilitated by the World Council, with the participation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. The leaders explored the cultural and philosophical commonalities of their traditions while openly accepting their differences.

A joint declaration affirmed the shared values of both traditions and a relationship grounded in the recognition of One Supreme Being. The delegates committed to keep meeting and to develop initiatives promoting social justice, religious freedom and mutual education about Hinduism and Judaism.

The Second Summit: Jerusalem, 2008

From February 17 to 20, 2008, a delegation of some 20 Hindu leaders traveled to Jerusalem, organized by the World Council with the American Jewish Committee and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the auspices of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. The delegation included Swami Avdheshanand Giri, Swami Paramatmananda Saraswati, Swami Chidanand Saraswati and Swami Madhavpriyadas.

"Never before has such a high level delegation of Hindu leaders visited Israel, let alone for an official dialogue with the Israeli religious establishment and under national auspices."

The leaders discussed icon worship, calendars, the meaning of the svastika and much else with great mutual respect. They met President Shimon Peres, were welcomed in the Knesset, prayed at the Western Wall, paid their respects at Yad Vashem, and in Haifa met Druze, Bahá'í, Christian and Muslim community leaders.

A Landmark Declaration

At the close of the Jerusalem summit, Rabbi Rosen read a nine point declaration agreed by the Chief Rabbinate and the Hindu delegation. Among its points, it:

• affirmed the shared belief in One Supreme Being, in both its formless and manifest aspects, recognizing that Hindus relate to the One Supreme Being when they pray to a particular manifestation, and do not worship "idols";
• expressed a common view of the sanctity of human life;
• recognized that all religions are sacred to their people, so no one should denigrate or interfere with the religious practice of others;
• acknowledged the svastika as an ancient and auspicious Hindu symbol, misappropriated by the Third Reich.

For a tradition born of the rejection of idolatry, the first point was profound. Judaism had long perceived Hinduism as idolatrous. The Chief Rabbi said it was a relief to learn that this long held perception was mistaken.

"This historic coming together of the two oldest religions will further efforts towards religious diplomacy and alleviate many of the deep-rooted misunderstandings of the past 2000 years."

The Legacy

A Standing Committee for Hindu-Jewish Relations

The summits produced a signed Declaration of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation and the creation of a standing committee to carry the relationship forward, with further meetings planned in the United States.

A model for dialogue

The summits showed that honest dialogue between two traditions can resolve differences that once seemed fixed. The same leaders, including Swami Avdheshanand Giri, Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Swami Paramatmananda and Rabbi David Rosen, remain close partners of the Council today, and many took part in the One World One Humanity summit.