The entire archive of historical documents can be viewed here
1973-1974
Bishop John May was invited by the Springhill Avenue Temple to take part in a discussion with a Protestant minister and a Reform Rabbi. The three of them sat on the bimah in the Temple and compared their views on different things. The bishop wanted to find some way to respond to the Temple's initiative, and to help him he called on a lay couple from Holy Family parish in Mobile, Paul and Mary Filben. The Filbens began to establish contacts with Jews in the two Mobile congregations -- the Reform congregation in the Temple, and the Conservative congregation in the Dauphin Street Synagogue. In late November 1973, the Filbens attended a national workshop on Catholic-Jewish relations at a retreat center outside Dayton, Ohio. The workshop, at which about seventy-five people were present, became the forerunner of the National Workshop on Christian-Jewish Relations. Subsequent workshops were held in Memphis, 1975; Detroit, 1977; Los Angeles, 1978; Dallas, 1980; Milwaukee, 1981; Boston, 1983; St. Louis, 1984; Baltimore, 1986; Minneapolis, 1987; Charleston, 1989; Chicago, 1990; Pittsburgh, 1992; Tulsa, 1994 and Stamford, 1996. The Filbens attended all of these workshops and used them to develop contacts that would prove beneficial to the dialogue in Mobile.
1975
The Joint Commission on Catholic-Jewish Relations established a series of "Dessert and Dialogue" social gatherings, scheduled for October 6 and November 10, 1975, and January 12 and March 22, 1976. Read the Invitation,
the list of Dessert and Dialogue groups,
a list of Jewish & Catholic participants. On September 30 a taped interview of Abraham Joshua Heschel was played at the Spring Hill Avenue Temple and discussed by a panel that included Bishop John May of the Catholic Diocese of Mobile, Father Albert S. Foley and Father Don Martin of Spring Hill College, and Rabbi Michael Manson of the Dauphin St. Synagogue. Read the Program announcement. Rabbi Balfour Brickner of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations called the report of the beginnings of the Mobile dialogue "innovative and exciting in every way, worthy of national reproduction and distribution." Read his letter of November 5
1976
Dessert and Dialogue meetings were held on January 12 and March 22, and a meeting was held on April 12 to discuss plans for the future. Read the March 31 letter from Mary Filben and Norma Conrad. A joint Catholic Jewish worship service took place on May 16. Read the text of the service. On October 17 Nancy Brown and Mary Filben sent a letter to participants along with a checklist of participants' responsibilities in group discussion and the points to be made before the group begins to share.
1977
On April 15 Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum spoke at the Spring Hill Avenue Temple. Read Bishop May's April 22 article on Tanenbaum's talk. On October 16 Paul Filben spoke at the Temple on the issues and directions of Jewish Christian dialogue, and on November 16 Father John Pawlikowski of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago spoke on the Pharisees. Read the Catholic Week article on the talk and the Newspaper picture and caption of the talk. Read the letter from Isabel Siegel and Mary Filben discussing the upcoming year. Read a newspaper article on Filben's talk. Read the 1977-1978 schedule as well as a newspaper article on upcoming dialogue events.
1978
For their leadership in establishing the dialogue, Paul and Mary Filben were honored by the Spring Hill Temple. Read The Rabbi's Corner in January as well as a newspaper article on the Filbens. On January 19 Sister Teresa Bretthauer of Holy Family parish spoke on the Christian view of Jesus' messiahship. Read the Mobile Register article on Bretthauer's talk as well as the Catholic Week article on her talk. On February 16 Rabbi Steven Jacobs of the Spring Hill Avenue Temple spoke on the Jewish view of the messiah and messianism. Read the Mobile Register article on Jacobs' talk. On March 5 Rabbi Jacob Petuchowski of Hebrew Union College spoke on Israel -- read the Press Register article on Petuchowski's talk, and in May he spoke on Judaism -- read this article on his talk and this article on his talk. On April 6 Dr. Franklin Littell of Temple University gave a Christian perspective on the Holocaust. Read the Catholic Week article on Littell's talk and the Mobile Register article on his talk. In May a Holocaust resolution was sponsored by Mobile organizations, including the Catholic Diocesan Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs Commission. Read the newspaper article on the resolution along with a letter from the Temple to the diocesan commission. On September 24, Father Albert Foley, SJ, spoke on "The Etiquette of Jewish-Christan Dialogue." Read this article and this article on Foley's talk, as well as Foley's guidelines for dialogue etiquette. The 1978-1979 schedule was sent out on August 12. On October 18 there were group dialogues in homes on the subject, "How I feel about dialogue." A November 1 letter from Isabel Siegal and Mary Filben invited people to a tour of the Visitation Monastery and a talk by Spring Hill professor Fr. Richard Rousseau, SJ., on the Trinity. Read the Press Register article on the Rousseau talk. On December 13 there were living room dialogues on the holidays in Christian homes with decorations.
1979
On January 31 Rabbi Irvin Cutler of the Dauphin St. Synagogue spoke on the subject: "When the Agenda Is the Conversion of Jews, Is Dialogue Possible?" Read the Mobile Register article on Culter's talk along with this short piece on a joke told by Culter. On February 14 group dialogue took place in homes on Cutler's talk. Cutler and the Filbens attended the national workshop on Jewish-Christian relations. Read the Press Register article on Cutler and the Filbens at the national meeting Rabbi Michael Cook of Hebrew Union College gave two talks in March, one on the Gospels accounts of Jesus' passion and death -- read newspaper articles here and here -- and the other on Paul -- read the newspaper article here. Group dialogues in homes on his talks took place on March 21. The Yom HaShoah meeting took place at the Spring Hill College Human Relations Center. Read the program along with the newspaper notice on the mayor proclaiming remembrance days. The main speaker was Fr. Russell Biven, who spoke on the Resurrection of Jesus. Read the newspaper article on Biven's talk. In the summer the Dialogue published its 1979-1980 schedule, which was reported in a newspaper article entitled "Area Jewish-Christian Dialogue Expands Activities. On September 11 there was a showing of the film "Christians and Jews: A Troubled Brotherhood." Read the program. On October 18 Mr. Gideon Shomron, Israeli Advisor for Church Relations in North America, spoke on "An Israeli Point of View on Jewish Christian Relations," and Sister Rose Thering of Seton Hall University spoke on "A Christian Looks at Israel." Read part 1 and part 2 of the newspaper article on the Shomron & Thering talks. Small group discussions of the talks took place on November 7. On November 28 Dr. Aidan Licari of McGill-Toolen High School gave a talk on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Read the Mobile Register article on the Licari talk. On December 9 a Chanukah/Christmas party was held at the Spring Hill College Campus Center. Read the invitation.
1980
On January 8 Dr. Eugene Fisher of the Secretariat of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Dr. William Weiler, Former Director of Jewish Christian Relations, National Council of Churches, spoke on proselytization. Read the Mobile Register article on the Fisher and Weiler talks as well as here. Small group discussions took place on January 24. In February Rabbi Jacobs spoke at Sunday worship service at Dauphin Way United Methodist Church and a yad was given the church for its help to the Temple after Hurricane Frederick. Read an article on the event. Also in February Dr. David Chalmers of the University of Florida spoke on the Ku Klux Klan. Read the Mobile Register article on the Chalmers talk. In March Dr. David Saperstein spoke on the challenge of technological issues. Read the Mobile Register article on the Saperstein talk. Also in March, the Dauphin Street Synagogue paid tribute to Bishop May in acknowledgement of his "sincere concern and respect for the Jewish community." Read the synagogue letter to Bishop May as well as a newspaper clipping on the tribute to Bishop May. On March 17 Mayor Greenough issued a "Proclamation of Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust." In the course of spring, a series of study groups were held at the Dauphin Street Synagogue on February 26, All Saints Episcopal Church on March 13, St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church on March 5, Ashland Place United Methodist Church on April 22, and the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on May 6. In April Rabbi Dr. Lawrence Hoffman spoke on the significance of bread in Jewish history and for first-century Christians. Read the Mobile Register article on Hoffman's talk. Paul and Mary Filben attended the National Workshop on Christian-Jewish Relations, and when they returned they were interviewed in the Mobile Register. During the summer the Dialogue sent out its 1980-1981 program schedule. On October 19 Fr. Edward Flannery, who had worked at the US Catholic Bishops' Office in Washington, DC, spoke at the Temple on "Do Christians Need a Theology of Israel?" Read the Mobile Register article on the Flannery Talk. In November the two women who spearheaded the development of the dialogue in Mobile, Mary Filben and Isabel Siegel, were recognized as religious lay leaders of the year. Read a Mobile Register article on the awards. On November 18, Rabbi Daniel Polish of the Synagogue Council of America spoke on the theological meaning of the State of Israel. Read the Mobile Register article on the Polish talk along with the Catholic Week article. A Chanukah-Christmas party took place at the Temple on December 13. Read the announcement of the party.
1981
On January 8, Prof. Paul Van Buren of Temple University spoke on Jewish people in Christian theology. Read the Press Register article on the Van Buren talk. On February 19, Rabbi Stanley Gerstein of the Dauphin Street Synagogue spoke on Jerusalem in songs, poems, and pictures. Read the Mobile Register article on the Gerstein talk. In March Dr. Norman Cohen of Hebrew Union College gave a series of talks. Read the newspaper articles on the Cohen talks. On March 12 Sister Ann Gillen of the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry spoke at the Ashland Place United Methodist Church on the repression of religious liberties in the Soviet Union. Read the anouncement of the Gillen talk, the Mobile Register article on the Gillen talk, and the Catholic Week article. Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum spoke at the Jewish Comunity Center on April 14. Read the program for the Tannenbaum talk and the Mobile Register article on the talk. An ecumenical Passover service was held at the Dauphin Street Synagogue in late April. Read the Press Register article on the ecumenical Passover service. During the summer the dialogue sent out the 1981-1982 lecture series brochure. On September 15 a Holocaust Remembrance service was held at St. Ignatius Church. Read the remembrance service program. On October 13 Fr. John Pawlikowski spoke on fulfillment theology. Read the Mobile Register article on the Pawlikowski talk. On October 26 Archbishop Lipscomb spoke at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in a service commemorating the Protestant Reformation. A collection was taken and given to the Mobile Jewish-Christian Dialogue. Read the Press Register article before the Lipscomb talk and the Press Register article after the Lipscomb talk.
1982
On January 19, a Catholic nun, Sister Ann Patrick Ware, and a Protestant female ordained minister, Joan Campbell, spoke at the Ashland Place United Methodist Church. Read the Mobile Register article on the Ware talk and the Mobile Register article on the Campbell talk. A dinner and dialogue took place at the Dauphin Street Synagogue on February 2. On March 2, labor priest Msgr. George Higgins spoke on the new right. Read the Mobile Register article on the Higgins talk. A dinner and dialogue took place at the Government Street Presbyterian Church on March 30. On April 18 Dr. Ellis Rivkin spoke on the subject of Jesus' crucifixion. Read the Mobile Register article on Rivkin's talk. In May Rivkin spoke on the Pharisees. Read the Mobile Register article on his talk. In August Paul & Mary Filben traveled to Lebanon on a fact-finding mission sponsored by the National Christian Leadership Conference. Read the Catholic Week article before the trip and the Press Register article after the trip. The Filbens spoke at the Government Street United Methodist Church in September. Read the Press Register article on the Filbens' talk. The 1982-1983 Calendar of Events was sent out to the dialogue membership. On September 21 Edward Kahalley of the Mobile chapter of the American Lebanese League spoke at the Ashland Place United Methodist Church. Read the Press Register article on the Kahalley talk. On October 7 Rev. Stephen Duffy of Loyola University in New Orleans spoke at St. Paul's Lutheran Church on the Jewishness of Jesus. Read the Press Register article on the Duffy talk. On November 11 Dr. Glen Stassen of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville spoke at the First Baptist Church on the nuclear arms race. Read the Press Register article on the Stassen talk.
1983
On January 13 Archbishop Lipscomb spoke at the Government Street Presbyterian Church on prayer in public schools. Read the Press Register article on the Lipscomb talk. On March 22 Rabbi Jacobs explained the Seder at the Springhill Temple. Read the Press Register article on the Jacobs talk. The Yom HaShoah service was held at the Jewish Community Center on April 10. Read the Press Register article on the service. In April Dr. David Weisberg of Hebrew Union College spoke on Jews in China. Read the Press Register article on the Weisberg talk. In May the Filbens attended the national workshop on Jewish-Christian relations in Boston. Read the Press Register article on Filbens at the Boston meeting. During the summer the 1983-1984 Calendar of Events was sent out. On October 11 Rev. Dr. William Harter of the Presbyterian Church of Falling Spring in Chambersburg, PA, spoke at the Spring Hill Presbyterian Church on the role of church and synagogue in social issues. Read the Press Register article on the Harter talk. On November 15 a presentation on Jewish and Christian festivals was given by Rev. Dani Daunay of St. Peter's Lutheran Church and Rev. Jim Lambert, SJ, of Spring Hill College. Read the Press Register article on the D'Aunay & Lambert talks.
1984
On January 12 Robin Miller of the National Conference of Christians & Jews spoke at the University of Alabama Baptist Student Center on dealing with antisemitism. Read the Press Register article on the Miller talk. On February 7 Professor George Kemon of Biscayne College spoke at St. Ignatius Church on Msgr. Walter Carroll, "The Pope's Envoy." Read the Press Register article on the Kemon talk and the Catholic Week article. In March the dialogue sent out an invitation to a Passover Seder at the Synagogue on April 3. Also in March, Dr. Michael Signer of Hebrew Union College spoke at the Temple on Jewish history. Read the Press Register article on the Signer talk. Dr. Robert Perkins addressed the dialogue in May on the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber. Read the Press Register article on the Perkins talk. Dr. Haim Gordon of Ben Gurion University addressed the dialogue on Jesus as elder brother." Read the Press Register article on the Gordon talk. On April 30 Prof. Harry Cargas of Webster College took part in the Yom HaShoah service and was interviewed by the Press Register. In May, Dr. Michael Signer of Hebrew Union College spoke at the Temple on the Passover. Read the Press Register article on the Signer talk. In May Paul and Mary Filben and Isabel Seigal were presented with the B'nai B'rith District Seven Award of Meritorious Achievement for the work with the Mobile Dialogue, characterized as "a model for such programs in other areas." Read the letter from B'Nai B'Rith District Seve and see a photo of Isabel Seigal, Mary and Paul Filben, and Mayor Mims. The Dialogue had now completed ten years of activity, and the anniversary was marked by a Press Register article in August, a Birmingham Post-Herald article in December on the Filbens and the Mobile Dialogue, and a report on the Mobile dialogue written by the Filbens for the Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Winter 1984 edition. On September 5 there was a pre-screening of the film "Heritage: Civilization and the Jews." The film was followed by a panel discussion, with panelists Sr. Maureen Kennedy, OP, of the Catholic Office of Religious Education, Bishop Charles Duvall of the Episcopal diocese, Mrs. Aliza Gerstein of the Dauphin Street Synagogue, Dr. George Gilmore of Spring Hill College, Mrs. Barbara Paper of the Mobile Jewish Welfare Fund, and Mr. Barry Silverman. Read the invitation sent out in August as well as the Press Register article on the film and panel discussion. In a letter from the dialogue dated September 10 and signed by Mary Filben, Sarah Briskman, and Isabel Seigel, an attempt was made to resurrect the living room dialogues.
1985
Records for the first half of 1985 are not available.
In the summer the 1985-1986 lecture schedule was sent out to the dialogue. Rabbi Alan Mittleman of the American Jewish Committee in New York spoke in October at the Dauphin Street Synagogue on "The Current Revolution in Catholic-Jewish Relations." The talk was accompanied by a tree-planting in Spanish Plaza. Read the program for the tree planting ceremony and the Press Register article on Mittleman's talk and the tree planting. On November 21 Rev. Philip Culbertson of the University of the South addressed the dialogue on the subject of Jesus and the Jews. Read the
Press Register article on the Culbertson talk. A Jewish-Christian Dialogue Thanksgiving Sabbath Service took place at the Temple on November 29. Read the program for the Thanksgiving service. The dialogue sponsored "The Seasons of Our Lives," an enactment of the rituals, customs and traditions of the Jewish life cycle at the Springhill Avenue Temple on December 5. Read the Program and the Press Register article.
1986
On January 21 Dr. Eugene Fisher spoke at the Dauphin Street Synagogue on "The Liturgy of Lent and Jewish-Christian Relations." Read the letter announcing the Fisher talk. The dialogue program for February and March included a talk by Haim Gordon of Ben Gurion University on "Education for Dialogue in the Mideast," and a talk by Rabbi Ezra Spicehandler of Hebrew Union College. On April 8 Rev. Nancy Ellett Allison of Royal Baptist Church in Dallas addressed the dialogue on "Seminary Education and Jewish Christian Relations." Read the letter announcing the Allison talk. On May 6 the Yom HaShoah service took place at the Springhill Avenue Temple, and was followed by a talk on "Memory and Destiny" by Rev. Isaac Rottenberg of the National Christian Leadership Conference for Israel. Read the letter announcing the Yom HaShoah service and the Rottenberg talk. During the summer the 1986-1987 schedule of events was sent out to the dialogue. On October 21 Ms. Debra Berger of Project Interchange spoke at Trinity Episcopal Church on the meaning of Israel to Christians and Jews. Read the letter announcing the Berger talk. The program for November and December included a talk by Ms. Pat Clark of the Southern Poverty Law Center on "A Legacy of Hate in America," and a talk by Prof. Riffat Hassan on the Center for Study of World Religion, Harvard Divinity School, on "Messianism and Islam."
1987
The program for January included a talk by Rev. John Buchanan of People for the American Way on the textbook crisis in schools and its impact on Jewish, Christian and Muslim relations. On February 16 Prof. Asher Finkel of Seton Hall University addressed the dialogue on "Standing Before God: The Biblical Experience of Prayer." Read the letter announcing the Finkel talk. The Yom HaShoah service took place on April 26, and it featured a talk by Sister Rose Thering on "A Christian Response to the Holocaust." In July a Mobile Jewish-Christian Dialogue Garden was begun in Mobile's Municipal Park with the planting of a tree in honor of Isabel Siegal. Read the Press Register article on the dedication ceremony as well as the Catholic Week article, and see a photo of the plaque. During the summer the 1987-1988 schedule of events was sent to the dialogue. On November 11 Patricia Ann Clark of the Southern Poverty Law Center spoke at the Dauphin Street Synagogue on "A Legacy of Hate in America." Read the letter announcing the Clark talk. On December 10 Ann Johnson and Rabbi Perry Cohen, both from Vermont, spoke at St. Pius X Catholic Church on "Miryam of Judah: Woman, Mother of Jesus, Faithful Jew." Read the Catholic Week article on the talk.
1988
The program for January included a talk by Mohamed Massarwa, Israel Consulate General, Southmst Region, USA, a talk on "The Pope and the Jews" by Rabbi Solomon Schiff of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and Rev. Msgr. Bryan Walsh, Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission, Archdiocese of Miami, and a Jewish-Christian Dialogue mission to Israel. In March and April the program included a talk by Max Dimont on "Jews, God and History," the Yom HaShoah ceremony, and an Israel "40" celebration. During the summer the 1988-1989 schedule of events was sent to the dialogue. The program for November and December included a talk by attorney John Loftus at the Mobile Gas Co. auditorium on "The Nazi Connection in America," and a talk at All Saints Episcopal Church by David Bossman of Seton Hall University on "Jews and Judaism in the Gospel of Matthew."
1989
The program for the first half of the year included a presentation on "Jewish Home Beautiful" by the Dauphin Street Sisterhood; a talk by William Gralnick of the American Jewish Committee in Miami and Rev. George Mason of Hillcrest Baptist Church on "Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, and Jews in the South"; a tree planting ceremony in the Dialogue Garden; a talk by Rabbi David Ellenson of Hebrew Union College; a talk by Dr. Joseph Resenbloom of Washington University; and the Yom HaShoah ceremony with guest speaker Julie Haifetz of the Center for Holocaust Studies in St. Louis. During the summer the 1989-1990 schedule of events was sent to the dialogue. The program for the second half of the year included a talk at the First Baptist Church of Mobile by Rev. Dr. Philip Culbertson of the University of the South entitled "Is There a Place for Evangelizing in Christian Jewish Dialogue?"; a tree planting ceremony at the Dialogue Garden; and a talk at St. Ignatius Church by Judith Banki of the American Jewish Committee in New York and Rev. John Pawlikowski of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago entitled "The Conflict at Auschwitz: A Time for Healing."
1990
The program for the first half of the year included talks at the Dauphin Street Synagogue by Rabbi Howard Addison of Temple Beth Israel in Fr. Lauderdale, FL, and Rev. Warren Wall, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Mobile on Christian and Jewish perspectives on death and consolation; a talk at the Springhill Avenue Temple by Dr. Mark Washofsky of Hebrew Union College; a tree planting ceremony; and the Yom HaShoah ceremony. During the summer the 1990-1991 schedule of events was sent to the dialogue. The program for the second half of the year included a talk at Forest Hill United Methodist Church by Rev. Michael McGarry of St. Paul's College in Washington, DC, on "Prayer and the Meaning of G-D after Auschwitz"; a tree planting ceremony, and a talk by Maha Gahasananda on "Life Is a Process: Eating and Avoiding Being Eaten."
1991
The program for the first half of the year included a talk by Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb on Nostra Aetate after 25 years; a talk by Rev. Glenn Hinson of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on "Prayer and Social Transformation"; the Yom HaShoah ceremony at the Ahavas Chesed Synagogue and the Dialogue Garden; a talk by Rabbi Harold Kushner on "When Bad Things Happen to Good People"; and a talk at the Springhill Avenue Temple by Dr. Martin Cohen of Hebrew Union College.
Records for the second half of the year are not available.
1992
The Yom HaShoah ceremony took place at the Springhill Temple on April 29. On May 5 An Evening of Jewish Literature was held in Bernheim Hall at the Mobile Public Library. The 1992-1993 schedule of events was sent to the dialogue in the summer. The program for the second half of the year included a musical presentation "And the Angels Sing" at the Springhill Avenue Temple, with the Port City United Voices, Ira and Pat Swingle, the Bob Schultz Orchestra, the Gumbo Bay Jazz Band, and others; and a Chanukah celebration led by Rabbi Steven Silberman of Congregation Ahavas Chesed.
1993
On January 19, Rabbi Earl Grollman of Beth El Temple in Belmont, MA, spoke on "The Circle of Life: Living with Loss, Healing with Hope." Read a newspaper article on the Grollman talk. The program for the first half of the year also included a talk by Dr. Norman Cohen of the Hebrew Union College on "So You Think You Have Problems with Your Family: Relationships in the Bible through the Eyes of the Midrash"; a talk by Cathy O'Keefe of the University of South Alabama and Debi Mishael of Congregation Ahavas Chesed on "Finding Common Ground for Dialogue on the Issue of Abortion; the Seder at the Dauphin Way United Methodist Church with Rabbi Kunstadt of the Springhill Avenue Temple; and the Yom HaShoah ceremony at the Synagogue. The 1993-1994 schedule of events was sent to the dialogue during the summer. The program for the second half of the year included an evening with Eugene Walter at the Ahavas Chesed Synagogue; a talk at Holy Family Catholic Church by Sr. Theresa Bretthauer of the Diocese of Jackson, MS, on the origin and traditions of the Christmas story; and a talk at St. Pius X Catholic Church by Larry Hubner on "Bridges for Peace."
1994
The program for the first half of the year included a talk by Rabbi James Rudin of the American Jewish Committee on "Prospects for Pece in the Middle East: Implications for Jewish-Christian Dialogue"; a talk by Rabbi Alexander Schindler of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations on the Sesqui-Centennial celebration; a talk by Rev. John Pawlikowski of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago on "Reconciliation or Division: The Challenge of Lenten Worship and Preaching"; a talk by Dr. Charles Price of the Virginia Theological Seminary on "Resurrection: Jewish and Christian Perspectives"; the Yom HaShoah ceremony; and the musical program, "And the Angels Sing.
The records for the second half of the year are not available.
1995
The records are the first half of the year are not available, except for the Yom HaShoah ceremony, which was covered in this Press Register article. Paul and Mary Filben wrote a column in the paper on July 8 in which they discussed the first twenty years of the dialogue. The dialogue schedule for 1995-1996 was sent out in the summer. In October Dr. Tim Carmody of Spring Hill College and Rabbi Steven Silberman of Ahavas Chesed Synagogue spoke at the Synagogue on "your People Shall Be My People -- Your G-d Shall Be My G-d." Read the letter announcing the Carmody & Silberman talks. In December Bishop Krister Stendahl of Stockholm, Sweden, and former professor at Harvard Divinity School, spoke on "The Next Stage in the Jewish-Christian Dialogue." Read the announcement of the Stendahl talk and the Press Register picture & caption of Stendahl.
1996
In January Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman of Hebrew Union College spoke at the Temple on "Beyond Ethnicity: Entering the Spiritual Age." In March Dr. Michael Cook of Hebrew Union College spoke at the Fine Arts Museum of the South on "An Abiding Presence: Shades & Shadows of Judaism in Christian Art." Read the letter announcing the Cook talks and the Catholic Week article on the Cook talks. The Yom HaShoah ceremony in April featured Dr. Eva Fleischner of Montclair State University speaking on "Why We Remember." Read the letter announcing the Fleischner talk. In October the Mobile Jewish Welfare Fund invited members of the dialogue to a series of events celebrating Jerusalem 3000. Read the letter announcing the event as well as the Catholic Week article on Jerusalem.
1997
On January 7 Professor Clark Williamson of Christian Theological Seminary spoke at the First Baptist Church on "Should Christians Have a Mission to the Jews?" Read the letter announcing Williamson's talk. On January 11 the Press Register printed an article on the dialogue. In April and May the Dialogue co-sponsored a series of talks on religion and science. Read the letter from the Filbens on the Religion & Science series as well as the schedule of the series. In April the Yom HaShoah ceremony featured a performance of the play, "I Never Saw Another Butterfly." Read the letter announcing the program and the 1997 Yom HaShoah program. In September the Filbens sent out a letter on the 1997-1998 program as well as a brochure entitled "Dialogue Begins Its 23rd Year." In October and November the Dialogue co-sponsored a series of talks entitled "Great Religions in a Pluralistic Society."
1998
With Paul Filben as editor, the Dialogue sent out in January its Dialogue Newsletter, Vol. 1, Issue 2. Rabbi Harold Kushner spoke on "How Good Do We Have to Be?" Read a Press Register column on Kushner, a Press Register announcement of the Kushner talk, a flyer announcing the Kushner talk, and the Catholic Week article on the Kushner talk. In March, Holocaust survivor Nesse Godin spoke at the Synagogue. Read the Catholic Week article on the Godin talk. The Dialogue Newsletter, Vol. 1, Issue 3 was mailed out in April. On April 22, the Yom HaShoah commemorative service at the Springhill Avenue Temple featured a presentation of "Brundibar," a children's opera that was performed in the concentration camp Theresienstadt. The Dialogue Newsletter, Vol. 1, Issue 4 was mailed out in July. On October 29, Professor Amy-Jill Levine of Vanderbilt Univeristy spoke at the Temple on "Jews' and Christians' Self-Definition: The Limits of Tolerance." Read the letter announcing the Levine talk. On December 12 Rabbi Herman Schaalman of the Mini-University of Judaica spoke on "Messiah: Do We Still Wait for Such a Personal Event?" Read the letter announcing the Schaalman talk.
1999
In March the Dialogue Newsletter, Vol. 2, Issue 2 was mailed out. The Yom HaShoah service was held at the Ahavas Chesed Synagogue on April 12. On April 20 Eli Evans spoke at the Springhill Avenue Temple on "Growing Up Jewish in the South." Eugene Fisher, Associate Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke at St. Ignatius Catholic Church on "Christian-Jewish Relations: Ad Multos Annos." Read the invitation to the Fisher talk.
2000
On March 16 Dr. Susanna Heschel spoke at St. Pius Catholic Church on "From Warsaw to Selma: Abraham Heschel's Vision of Spirituality and Social Activism." Read the flyer on the Heschel talk. On April 6 Rabbi Ron Kronish, Director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel, spoke at the Westminster Presbyterian Church on "Interreligious Relations: Impact of Papal Visit to Israel." Read the flyer on the Kronish talk and the Mobile Register announcement of the Kronish talk. The Yom HaShoah service took place at the Temple on May 1. Read the flyer announcing the Yom HaShoah service and the Mobile Register editorial the day after the service. In 2000 the Mobile Jewish-Christian Dialogue completed 25 years of service to the community. Read the flyer "A Celebration of Dialogue: Twenty-Five Years!", the Catholic Week article on 25 years, and the Deep South Jewish Voice article on 25 years. In September a dinner was held in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Dialogue. Read the flyer welcoming participants to the dinner and the Catholic Week article on the dinner. In October Jerry Darring, a teacher at McGill Toolen High School and Spring Hill College who had studied at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem during the summer, spoke at the Synagogue on "A Christian Encounter with Judaism, Israel, and the Holocaust." Read the Catholic Week article on Darring's talk, 3 November 2000
2001
In March, Dr. Mary Boys, S.N.J.M., professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York, addressed the Dialogue on "Has God Only One Blessing." Read the Catholic Week article on the Boys talk.
The Yom HaShoah service took place on April 18, with featured speaker Stanlee Stahl, Executive Vice President of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous. Read the text of her talk, entitled Christian Rescuers.
2002
On January 10, Dr. Philip Cunningham of Boston College spoke at the Synagogue on "Telling the Christian Story Anew (And Implications for Jewish Self-Understanding)." Read the flyer announcing the Cunningham talk and the Catholic Week article on the talk. The annual Yom HaShoah service took place at the Springhill Avenue Temple on April 8. Read the Mobile Register article before the service and the Proclamation of Day of Remembrance by Governor Siegelman, and see a picture of the Filbens with Governor Siegelman. In November Holocaust survivor Felicia Fuksman spoke to the Dialogue. Read the Catholic Week article on her talk. On December 3, Alexandra Zapruder, author of the book Salvaged Pages: Young Writers' Diaries of the Holocaust, spoke at the Mobile Public Library. Read the Mobile Register article on Zapruder and the Catholic Week article on her talk.
2003
The Dialogue sent out a flyer announcing the calendar of activities from December 2003 to April 2004. On December 9 Robert Jan van Pelt spoke at the Mobile Public Library on "The Case for Auschwitz." Read the Catholic Week article on his talk.
2004
On January 6, Fr. Larry Frizzell of the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University spoke at St. Ignatius Church on "The Passion: From Gospels to Gibson." On March 9, Rev. George Mason, pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas spoke at the First Baptist Church on "Something There Is That Doesn't Love a Wall: The Future of Christian-Jewish Relations." Read the Catholic Week article on Mason's talk. The annual Yom HaShoah service took place on April 17 at the Springhill Avenue Temple. Read the flyer announcing Yom HaShoah and the Catholic Week article on the Yom HaShoah service. On October 26, Dr. James Evans, pastor of Auburn First Baptist Church, spoke at the First Baptist Church on "What Is Faith For?" Read the flyer announcing the Evans talk.
2005
On March 1, Jerry Fowler, Staff Director of the Committee on Conscience at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, spoke at St. Ignatius Church on "Staring Genocide in the Face." Read the flyer announcing Fowler's talk and the Catholic Week article on his talk. On April 21, Dr. Al Staggs performed a one-man play entitled "A View from the Underside: The Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer." Read the Catholic Week article on the Bonhoeffer dramatization. The Yom HaShoah service took place at the Ahavas Chesed Synagogue on May 4. Read the flyer announcing Yom HaShoah
2006
On February 23, a meeting was held at Spring Hill College to discuss the future direction of the Dialogue in Mobile. In attendance were Don Berry, Noreen Carrocci, Jerry Darring, George and Honey Dimitriadis, Mary and Paul Filben, Diane Frank, George Gilmore, and Rickie Voit. The group decided to form two boards, an honorary board and a working board. In April the Board approved the Mobile Jewish-Christian Dialogue Mission Statement. The annual Yom HaShoah service was held at the Springhill Avenue Temple on April 24. Read the flyer announcing Yom HaShoah. A flyer announcing the 2006-2007 program was sent out at the end of summer.
On September 12, Dr. Donald Berry spoke at Spring Hill College on "The Old and the New in Current Antisemitism." Read the Catholic Week article on Berry's talk. On October 30, the film "Sr. Rose's Passion" was shown at Spring Hill College and was followed by comments by Fr. John Pawlikowski. Read the flyer announcing the film and the talk.
2007
On January 11, Rev. Dr. Peter Pettit, Director of the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding of Muhlenberg College, spoke at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on "Jews, Christians, and the Rest of the World." Read the flyer announcing Pettit's talk. On March 8, Dr. Murry Mutchnick of Spring Hill College spoke at the College on "The Anatomy of Destruction and Good: Psychological Perspectives on the Nazis, Heroes and Ourselves." Read the flyer announcing the Mutchnick talk and the Catholic Week article on his talk. The Yom HaShoah service was held on April 23 at the Ahavas Chesed Synagogue. The featured speaker was Stanlee Stahl, Executive Vice President of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous. Read the flyer announcing Yom HaShoah and the Catholic Week article on the service. In August Spring Hill College hosted a lunch for the Board of Directors and the Honorary Board of the Mobile Jewish-Christian Dialogue. On September 27, Dr. John Switzer of Spring Hill College spoke at the College on "Strangers No More: The Pedagogy of Interreligious Hospitality." Read the Catholic Week article on the Switzer talk. A flyer was sent out announcing that on October 24, Dr. Paula Fredriksen of Boston University would speak on "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: The Origins of Christianity." Weather caused her trip to Mobile to be cancelled at the last minute, and in place of her talk, a paper on Pius XII was read.
2008
On March 11, Dr. Eugene Fisher, who for years was Associate Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke at Spring Hill College on "The Current State of Christian-Jewish Dialogue." Read the flyer announcing the Fisher Talk. The annual Yom HaShoah service took place at the Springhill Avenue Temple on May 1. Read the flyer announcing Yom HaShoah. During the summer the Board of Directors approved its by-laws, and at its September meeting, George Gilmore was elected Chair, Murry Mutchnick was elected Vice-Chair, and Jerry Darring was elected Secretary. On September 23, the Dialogue presented a panel presentation at Our Savior Catholic Church by Jerry Darring and Larry Voit entitled "A Christian and a Jew Learn about Each Other's Scriptures." Read the flyer announcing the Darring-Voit presentation. The Dialogue co-sponsored a 70th Anniversary Commemoration of Kristallnacht on November 9 at Five Rivers Delta Center. Read the program for the Kristallnacht Commemoration.
2009
A flyer announcing the Spring 2009 program was sent out to the Dialogue. On March 5, "An Evening with Archbishop Rodi" took place at Dauphin Way United Methodist Church. The annual Yom HaShoah service was held at the Ahavas Chesed Synagogue on April 20. On May 14, a panel discussion, "Jews and Christians Respond to the Economic Crisis" took place at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. Panelists were Rabbi Donald Kunstadt of the Springhill Avenue Temple, Rabbi Steve Silberman of the Ahavas Chesed Synagogue, Major Ted Morris of the Salvation Army, and Dr. Kathleen Orange, Director of the Foley Community Center at Spring Hill College. Read the flyer announcing the panel discussion on the economic crisis. During the summer a flyer was sent out announcing the calendar of events in the second half of 2009. On September 15, Mark Potok of the Southern Law Poverty Center spoke at All Saints Episcopal Church on "The Current State of Hate in America." On October 22, Rabbi Jim Rudin, former chair of the American Jewish Committee, spoke at the Springhill Avenue Temple on "The Baptizing of America." On November 17, a panel discussion on "Faith in the Home: Birth and Adolescence," took place at Spring Hill College.
2010
On January 5, Mary Filben passed away from complications following open-heart surgery. The Dialogue mourned the loss of one of its co-founders in a memorial ceremony at St. Joseph Chapel on the campus of Spring Hill College. On September 21, Barbara Wind spoke at St, Pius X Church on the work of Sr. Rose Thering. A response was given by Sr. Anne Brady. See a picture of Sr. Anne, Barbara Wind, and Don Berry. On November 9, a panel discussion on "Faith in the Home: Marriage and Establishing Family," was held at Spring Hill College, with Jewish panelists Larry and Rickie Voit, and Christian panelists Cathy and Dennis O'Keefe.
2011
A flyer announcing the 2011 program was sent out to the Dialogue. On March 29, Rev. Dennis McManus, D.Litt., spoke at Spring Hill College on "Christian-Jewish Relations in the U.S. Today." The annual Yom HaShoah service was held at the Ahavas Chesed Synagogue on May 1. See the flyer. On May 12, Mark Leiren-Young performed a one-man piece at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of South Alabama. See the flyer. On May 26, Jerry Darring spoke at the Springhill Avenue Temple on "Holocaust Flashpoints in Christian-Jewish Relations." See the flyer and read the talk.
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