Marc H. Tanenbaum
Encyclopedia
The late Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum (1925–1992) was an internationally renowned human rights and social justice activist who is best known for building bridges with other faith communities to advance mutual understanding and cooperation and to eliminate entrenched stereotypes, particularly those rooted in religious teachings. He was a vigorous advocate during the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) on behalf of what eventually emerged as Nostra Aetate
, a landmark document which overturned a long tradition of hostility toward Jews and Judaism—including the charge that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus—and affirmed the Jewish roots of Christianity. Nostra Aetate
established a new policy of outreach in dialogue to Jews and set Catholic-Jewish relations on a new course.
In addition, Rabbi Tanenbaum was dubbed "the human rights rabbi" for his work on behalf of Vietnamese "boat people
" and Cambodian refugees. He also helped organize humanitarian relief for victims of the Nigerian-Biafran conflict.
in New York City. Torn between his mother’s hope that he would become a rabbi and his father’s wish for him to become a doctor, he pursued both pre-medical and rabbinical studies. Upon graduating from Yeshiva University, he was accepted into medical school, but after only one day of classes, he realized that medicine was not the path for him.
Always interested in writing, both creative and journalistic, he found work at a weekly newsletter. A chance encounter with a former classmate at Yeshiva led to his application for and admission to the Jewish Theological Seminary
. (The classmate was Harold Sculweis
, who also became a distinguished rabbi and author.)
In the intellectually stimulating atmosphere of the seminary he pursued his interests in both Judaism and journalism, writing for The Eternal Light
, a radio show produced by the seminary.
One important relationship forged in the seminary that would profoundly influence and shape the direction of interreligious dialogue in the years ahead began as a chance encounter between the young Marc Tanenbaum and Abraham Joshua Heschel
. In his senior year at the seminary, Tanenbaum learned one morning that his father had just suffered a heart attack. Overcome with grief, concern and guilt that his mother and sister were left alone in Baltimore to cope, he encountered Heschel in the elevator. Heschel, recently arrived from Europe and already famous as a scholar and teacher, noted his distress and said “Something is troubling you. Come into my office.” When the young rabbinical student broke down and cried, Heschel immediately called his mother, offering solace and support. Rabbi Tanenbaum never forgot that act of kindness. A genuine friendship and affection developed between the two.
After ordination, Rabbi Tanenbaum knew he wanted to serve the Jewish community but not in what capacity. He worked in various positions as a writer and editor, and, for a time, was the religion writer for Time magazine. In 1952, he became director of the Synagogue Council of America
, an organization formed to represent the combined voices of Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism in the United States in the area of public policy and intergroup relations. At the Synagogue Council he reached out to make contacts with Christian leaders, including televangelists and Greek Orthodox primates and befriended the late Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. His influence widened as he became involved in national public affairs; he served as the vice president of the White House Conference on Children and Youth
, where he invited Rabbi Heschel to deliver a major paper. The intersection of religion and public policy had a particular appeal for Tanenbaum, and he saw it as a fertile field for interreligious cooperation. He believed that Jews needed to take an active role in public life in order to prevent marginalization and to counter anti-Semitism.
During his ten years at the Synagogue Council of America (SCA), Rabbi Tanenbaum strengthened and increased funding for the organization, but found the work increasingly frustrating. In 1961 Pope John XXIII
called for an Ecumenical Council
- the first in nearly a century - to renew the Roman Catholic Church and reach out to other religions. Rabbi Tanenbaum saw the Ecumenical Council as a historic opportunity to mend the Church’s troubled relationship with the Jewish people. He hoped to relate himself and the Synagogue Council to the forthcoming event, but was forestalled by the SCA’s rigid ban on religious dialogue with Christians.
The American Jewish Committee
(AJC) was one of the few Jewish organizations that took the Ecumenical Council seriously. In 1961, Marc Tanenbaum became its Director of Interreligious Affairs, finding in AJC a situation where his inclinations and creative energy had organizational respect and support. He had found his niche.
Rabbi Tanenbaum threw himself into the American Jewish Committee’s initiative on behalf of what eventually emerged from the Second Vatican Council
as Nostra Aetate
. He supervised an initiative that included three AJC memoranda: the first, documenting the negative and hostile portrayal of Jews and Judaism in Catholic textbooks; the second noting anti-Jewish elements in the liturgy; and the last, written by Abraham Joshua Heschel, suggesting concrete steps that the Church could take to redress past injustices. When Cardinal Bea
visited the United States, Rabbi Tanenbaum arranged an off-the-record meeting between the prelate, his staff and a group of Jewish religious leaders, including Heschel; the two biblical scholars struck off a personal relationship that withstood the tensions of the months to come.
He was instrumental in the establishment of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC), and was elected its chairman in 1987. IJCIC was formed to represent the Jewish community in dialogues with international Christian bodies such as the Vatican and the World Council of Churches
(WCC). He was the first rabbi to address the latter organization, speaking before some 4,000 delegates at the WCC’s Sixth Assembly in Vancouver in 1983.
In 1983, Rabbi Tanenbaum became director of International Affairs of the American Jewish Committee
where he focused on issues of human rights and humanitarian work.
During his career as director of first Interreligious and then International Affairs at the AJC, Marc Tanenbaum won a good deal of public recognition. Newsweek
magazine dubbed him as "the American Jewish community's foremost apostle to the gentiles." New York Magazine called him "the foremost Jewish ecumenical leader in the world today." In a poll of newspaper editors ranking the ten most respected and influential religious leaders in America, Rabbi Tanenbaum came in fourth.
In the course of a rich professional life, he served on the boards of various institutions, including the American Jewish World Service
, the International Rescue Committee
, the Overseas Development Council, the United Nations Association
, the National Peace Academy, the A. Philip Randolph Institute
, and Covenant House
. He was founder and Chairman of the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry, which, under the directorship of Ann Gillen, S.H.C.J, vigorously pursued the cause of oppressed Jews and Christians in the Soviet Union. He was awarded fifteen honorary degrees, and was honored by the International Council of Christians and Jews
and the New York Board of Rabbis
.
Besides his activism and scholarly work, Tanenbaum was well known for his weekly radio broadcasts, which addressed current events with succinct commentary. He also wrote editorials and articles directed to the Jewish community, upholding the value of interreligious dialogue.
A note on his personal life: Rabbi Tanenbaum’s first marriage in 1955 to Helga Weiss ended in divorce in 1977. Two daughters, Adina and Susan, and a son, Michael, remain from that marriage. A second marriage in 1982 to Dr. Georgette Bennett, an author, broadcast journalist, criminologist and business consultant brought joy and warmth once more into his personal life.
In 1992, the lifelong interfaith pioneer met an untimely end. He died of heart failure at the age of 66, seven weeks before the birth of his son, Joshua-Marc Tanenbaum.
While grieving the loss of her remarkable husband, Dr. Bennett realized that his work must go on. In 1993, she launched the Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum Foundation, which operates today as the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding.
Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI.The first draft, entitled "Decretum de...
, a landmark document which overturned a long tradition of hostility toward Jews and Judaism—including the charge that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus—and affirmed the Jewish roots of Christianity. Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI.The first draft, entitled "Decretum de...
established a new policy of outreach in dialogue to Jews and set Catholic-Jewish relations on a new course.
In addition, Rabbi Tanenbaum was dubbed "the human rights rabbi" for his work on behalf of Vietnamese "boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
" and Cambodian refugees. He also helped organize humanitarian relief for victims of the Nigerian-Biafran conflict.
Biography
The son of Orthodox Jewish Ukrainian immigrants who struggled to make ends meet, Rabbi Tanenbaum grew up in Baltimore. He excelled in school, and graduated from high school with a scholarship to attend Yeshiva UniversityYeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
in New York City. Torn between his mother’s hope that he would become a rabbi and his father’s wish for him to become a doctor, he pursued both pre-medical and rabbinical studies. Upon graduating from Yeshiva University, he was accepted into medical school, but after only one day of classes, he realized that medicine was not the path for him.
Always interested in writing, both creative and journalistic, he found work at a weekly newsletter. A chance encounter with a former classmate at Yeshiva led to his application for and admission to the Jewish Theological Seminary
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
. (The classmate was Harold Sculweis
Harold M. Schulweis
Harold M. Schulweis is an American rabbi and author. He is the longtime spiritual Leader at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California.-Biography:...
, who also became a distinguished rabbi and author.)
In the intellectually stimulating atmosphere of the seminary he pursued his interests in both Judaism and journalism, writing for The Eternal Light
The Eternal Light
The Eternal Light is a long-running American radio and television program on the NBC Radio Network, produced in conjunction with the Jewish Theological Seminary, that was broadcast between 1944 and 1989. Featuring interviews, commentary, and award-winning dramas from the perspective of Judaism, it...
, a radio show produced by the seminary.
One important relationship forged in the seminary that would profoundly influence and shape the direction of interreligious dialogue in the years ahead began as a chance encounter between the young Marc Tanenbaum and Abraham Joshua Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel was a Polish-born American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century.-Biography:...
. In his senior year at the seminary, Tanenbaum learned one morning that his father had just suffered a heart attack. Overcome with grief, concern and guilt that his mother and sister were left alone in Baltimore to cope, he encountered Heschel in the elevator. Heschel, recently arrived from Europe and already famous as a scholar and teacher, noted his distress and said “Something is troubling you. Come into my office.” When the young rabbinical student broke down and cried, Heschel immediately called his mother, offering solace and support. Rabbi Tanenbaum never forgot that act of kindness. A genuine friendship and affection developed between the two.
After ordination, Rabbi Tanenbaum knew he wanted to serve the Jewish community but not in what capacity. He worked in various positions as a writer and editor, and, for a time, was the religion writer for Time magazine. In 1952, he became director of the Synagogue Council of America
Synagogue Council of America
The Synagogue Council of America was an organization of American Jewish synagogue associations, founded in 1926, including :*The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America *The Rabbinical Council of America...
, an organization formed to represent the combined voices of Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism in the United States in the area of public policy and intergroup relations. At the Synagogue Council he reached out to make contacts with Christian leaders, including televangelists and Greek Orthodox primates and befriended the late Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. His influence widened as he became involved in national public affairs; he served as the vice president of the White House Conference on Children and Youth
White House Conference on Children and Youth
The White House Conference on Children and Youth was a series of meetings hosted over 70 years by the President of the United States of America, and the first White House conference ever held. Under the leadership of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D....
, where he invited Rabbi Heschel to deliver a major paper. The intersection of religion and public policy had a particular appeal for Tanenbaum, and he saw it as a fertile field for interreligious cooperation. He believed that Jews needed to take an active role in public life in order to prevent marginalization and to counter anti-Semitism.
During his ten years at the Synagogue Council of America (SCA), Rabbi Tanenbaum strengthened and increased funding for the organization, but found the work increasingly frustrating. In 1961 Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
called for an Ecumenical Council
Ecumenical council
An ecumenical council is a conference of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice....
- the first in nearly a century - to renew the Roman Catholic Church and reach out to other religions. Rabbi Tanenbaum saw the Ecumenical Council as a historic opportunity to mend the Church’s troubled relationship with the Jewish people. He hoped to relate himself and the Synagogue Council to the forthcoming event, but was forestalled by the SCA’s rigid ban on religious dialogue with Christians.
The American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
(AJC) was one of the few Jewish organizations that took the Ecumenical Council seriously. In 1961, Marc Tanenbaum became its Director of Interreligious Affairs, finding in AJC a situation where his inclinations and creative energy had organizational respect and support. He had found his niche.
Rabbi Tanenbaum threw himself into the American Jewish Committee’s initiative on behalf of what eventually emerged from the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
as Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate
Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI.The first draft, entitled "Decretum de...
. He supervised an initiative that included three AJC memoranda: the first, documenting the negative and hostile portrayal of Jews and Judaism in Catholic textbooks; the second noting anti-Jewish elements in the liturgy; and the last, written by Abraham Joshua Heschel, suggesting concrete steps that the Church could take to redress past injustices. When Cardinal Bea
Augustin Bea
Augustin Bea, SJ was a German scholar at the Gregorian University specializing in biblical studies and biblical archeology. He was confessor of Pope Pius XII. In 1959, Pope John XXIII made him cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first President of the Secretariat for Promoting...
visited the United States, Rabbi Tanenbaum arranged an off-the-record meeting between the prelate, his staff and a group of Jewish religious leaders, including Heschel; the two biblical scholars struck off a personal relationship that withstood the tensions of the months to come.
He was instrumental in the establishment of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC), and was elected its chairman in 1987. IJCIC was formed to represent the Jewish community in dialogues with international Christian bodies such as the Vatican and the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
(WCC). He was the first rabbi to address the latter organization, speaking before some 4,000 delegates at the WCC’s Sixth Assembly in Vancouver in 1983.
In 1983, Rabbi Tanenbaum became director of International Affairs of the American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
where he focused on issues of human rights and humanitarian work.
During his career as director of first Interreligious and then International Affairs at the AJC, Marc Tanenbaum won a good deal of public recognition. Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine dubbed him as "the American Jewish community's foremost apostle to the gentiles." New York Magazine called him "the foremost Jewish ecumenical leader in the world today." In a poll of newspaper editors ranking the ten most respected and influential religious leaders in America, Rabbi Tanenbaum came in fourth.
In the course of a rich professional life, he served on the boards of various institutions, including the American Jewish World Service
American Jewish World Service
American Jewish World Service is a nonprofit international development organization, founded in 1985, which supports community-based organizations in 35 countries in the developing world and works to educate the American Jewish community about global justice...
, the International Rescue Committee
International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee is a leading nonsectarian, nongovernmental international relief and development organization based in the United States, with operations in over 40 countries...
, the Overseas Development Council, the United Nations Association
United Nations Association
The United Nations Associations are non-governmental organizations that exist in various countries to enhance the relationship between the people of a member state and the United Nations, raise public awareness of the UN and its work, promote the general goals of the UN and act as an advisory body...
, the National Peace Academy, the A. Philip Randolph Institute
A. Philip Randolph Institute
The A. Philip Randolph Institute is an organization for African American trade unionists.-History:Following passage of the Voting Rights Act, APRI was co-founded in 1965 by A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin...
, and Covenant House
Covenant House
Covenant House is the largest privately funded agency in the Americas providing shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and an array of other services to homeless, and runaway youth. In addition to basic needs, Covenant House provides a continuum of care to homeless youth aged 16–21 designed to...
. He was founder and Chairman of the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry, which, under the directorship of Ann Gillen, S.H.C.J, vigorously pursued the cause of oppressed Jews and Christians in the Soviet Union. He was awarded fifteen honorary degrees, and was honored by the International Council of Christians and Jews
International Council of Christians and Jews
The International Council of Christians and Jews is an umbrella organization of 38 national groups in 32 countries world-wide engaged in the Christian-Jewish dialogue...
and the New York Board of Rabbis
New York Board of Rabbis
The New York Board of Rabbis is an organization of Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist rabbis in New York State and the surrounding portions of Connecticut and New Jersey....
.
Besides his activism and scholarly work, Tanenbaum was well known for his weekly radio broadcasts, which addressed current events with succinct commentary. He also wrote editorials and articles directed to the Jewish community, upholding the value of interreligious dialogue.
A note on his personal life: Rabbi Tanenbaum’s first marriage in 1955 to Helga Weiss ended in divorce in 1977. Two daughters, Adina and Susan, and a son, Michael, remain from that marriage. A second marriage in 1982 to Dr. Georgette Bennett, an author, broadcast journalist, criminologist and business consultant brought joy and warmth once more into his personal life.
In 1992, the lifelong interfaith pioneer met an untimely end. He died of heart failure at the age of 66, seven weeks before the birth of his son, Joshua-Marc Tanenbaum.
While grieving the loss of her remarkable husband, Dr. Bennett realized that his work must go on. In 1993, she launched the Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum Foundation, which operates today as the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding.
Education
- City High School, Baltimore (class of 1940)
- Talmudical Academy, Baltimore (class of 1944)
- Yeshiva UniversityYeshiva UniversityYeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
(1948) - Jewish Theological SeminaryJewish Theological Seminary of AmericaThe Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
(ordained 1950)
Board memberships
- American Jewish CommitteeAmerican Jewish CommitteeThe American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
- Director of International Relations Department - American Jewish World ServiceAmerican Jewish World ServiceAmerican Jewish World Service is a nonprofit international development organization, founded in 1985, which supports community-based organizations in 35 countries in the developing world and works to educate the American Jewish community about global justice...
- Board of Directors - International Rescue CommitteeInternational Rescue CommitteeThe International Rescue Committee is a leading nonsectarian, nongovernmental international relief and development organization based in the United States, with operations in over 40 countries...
- Board of Directors
Key writings
- Paths to Agape (1962)
- What is a Jew? (1963)
- Pope John XXIIIPope John XXIII-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
:"One of the Righteous Among the Peoples of the Earth" (1963) - An Interfaith Reexamination of Christian-Jewish Relations
- The American Negro: Myths and Realities
- The Role of the Church and Synagogue in Social Action
- Vatican II: An Interfaith Appraisal: A Jewish Viewpoint
- A Jewish Reaction to Catholic Positions in Vatican II
- Israel's Hour of Need and the Jewish-Christian Diologue
- The Meaning of Israel: A Jewish View
- Jewish-Christian Relations:Issues and Prospects
- A Survey and Evaluation of Christian-Jewish Relationships Since Vatican CouncilVatican CouncilThe First Vatican Council took place in 1869 - 1870 and was the 20th of ecumenical councils recognized by Roman Catholicism.The Second Vatican Council took place in the 1962 - 1965 and was the 21st....
II - Statement on"Jerusalem" Before the Near East Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
- Do You Know What Hurts Me?
- JudaismJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, and IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
: Discovery of Mutual Harmonies (February 16, 1972) - Some Issues Raised by Forthcoming Evangelism Campaigns: A Background Memorandum (June 1972)
- JudaismJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, EcumenismEcumenismEcumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
and Pluralism - Holy Year 1975 and Its Origins in the Jewish Jubilee Year
- The MaccabeesMaccabeesThe Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who took control of Judea, which had been a client state of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, reasserting the Jewish religion, expanding the boundaries of the Land of Israel and reducing the influence...
and Martyrdom: Their Meaning for Today - Major Issues in the Jewish-Christian Situation Today
- The Moral Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.(January 15, 1980)
- The Moral Majority: Threat or Challenge?
- Address on the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the American Jewish CommitteeAmerican Jewish CommitteeThe American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
(May 15, 1981) - Luther and the Jews: From the Past, A Present Challenge
- The Role of the Passion Play in Fostering Anti-Semitism Throughout History
- Jewish-Christian Relations: Heschel and Vatican Council II (February 21, 1983)
- The Concept of the Human Being in Jewish Thought: Some Ethical Implications
- On Black-Jewish Relations (March 11, 1987)
- Response on Receiving "Interfaith Award" of the International Council of Jews (May 11, 1988)
- Jewish-Catholic Relations: Achievements and Unfinished Agenda (November 27–30, 1988)
- No One Has the Right to Turn Auschwitz into a Christian Holy Place
Television consulting
- "A.D." - The T.V. Mini-Series
- "Civilta Cattolica" Returns to Anti-Zionist Hatred
- "Din Mishpat" - Dispute with the Lord
- "Holocaust" Series and the Soul of Germany
- "Jesus of Nazareth"
Famous quotes
- "Like the Maccabees of old, if small groups of people of conscience, in this country and in other parts of the world, will remain steadfast in their commitments to the 'Law of Human Rights' - and will mobilize to press our government and every government to enforce the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—we may yet find a way to help turn the world away from its present course of barbarism and anarchy to the achievement of a human society illuminated by reverence for human life and for human conscience."
- "Where there are two Jews, there are three opinions," said Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum in his essay "A Jewish Viewpoint on Nostra Aetate," as he quoted "a commonplace pun which is a Jewish self-critical way of describing the deep-seated democracy and pluralism that exists in Jewish life."
- "Jews have a quite legitimate reason to fear any trend that will threaten the Jewish community's ability to survive…But those valid concerns cannot justify any discrimination or denial of basic human rights to any American citizen, including gays."