Rabbi Dr. Hamami Lalehzar's Presentation in the Second Pre-con Meeting
Here is the English abstract of Rabbi Dr. Younes Hamami Lalehzar's (Religious Leader of Iranian Jews, Iranian Jewish Committee in Tehran) presentation at the 2nd pre-con meeting of the conference “Imam Reza (PBUH) and Interreligious Dialogue" which was held in the Iranian Jewish Committee in Isfahan on June 8, 2023.
Interfaith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence; Emphasizing the Commonalities
Achieving peace, tranquility, and peaceful coexistence at a global level is among the longstanding aspirations of humanity. In various Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, the fulfillment of this goal is designated as one of the important responsibilities of the promised savior. It seems that the only way to realize such peace and peaceful coexistence is knowing each other through "dialogue". Consequently, misconceptions, animosity, and hostilities arise from the absence of dialogue. This applies to the relationships between religions as well. Mutual understanding and, consequently, peaceful coexistence among the followers of different religions are fostered through dialogue. The interreligious dialogue will have two significant outcomes: first, attaining a genuine and accurate understanding of the other party, and second, discovering points of commonality. By eliminating misconceptions held by followers of different religions, many pessimisms and conflicts can be ended, and with the discovery of common grounds, the solidarity among the followers of different religions can grow, enabling them to surpass common challenges through cooperation. For example, there are numerous commonalities between Islam and Judaism that can be categorized into three groups: 1. Doctrinal commonalities such as the discussion of monotheism and human dignity, 2. Jurisprudential commonalities encompass various matters including purity and impurity, lawful and prohibited foods, and the veil, 3. Ethical commonalities, where prevalent ethical values in both religions are shared, and many topics related to the family also fall into this category.
Translator: Mahdi Qasemi