After a short but relevant digression let’s continue my report on Clifford Hill’s editorial on the reconciliation between Orthodox Judaism and Catholicism by looking at the other possible world-changing event I alluded to when summing up Five Spiritual Trends. This one came to my attention on New Year’s Eve thanks to Anne Kelly, but matters delayed my coverage until Dr Hill’s item:

Ariel Cohen Alloro with Canon Andrew White, courtesy Facing Each Other (Facebook)

‘Vicar of Baghdad’ Canon Andrew White reports on 29th Dec on Facebook that,

‘Orthodox Rabbi Cohen believes Jesus is coming soon, he keeps stressing he is in no way a messianic Jew. He is very Kabbalistic though. All he presents is very complex. With my Jewish understanding hat on I can’t accept this but without my kippa on …………..’

They met on 14th December in King David Hotel, Jerusalem, and recorded a 7 minutes video (rabbi’s voice is very soft and we notice a slight effect of MS in the canon’s louder tone). YouTube notes: ‘Ariel Cohen Alloro is introducing Canon Andrew White to his Jewish Orthodox historical challenge to legally return Yeshua to Israel, back to the Jewish establishment and to reach authentic ideological reconciliation between Judaism and Christianity’.

According his website Facing Each Other, “Ariel is not an official Rabbi, but a dilligent student of one of the greatest Rabbis today, who mastered the discipline of his Teacher and brings us now his innovative work, an essential contribution for the redemption of Israel and the whole world.  This is an original initiative by Ariel Cohen Alloro who is an Orthodox Jewish Priest (Cohen) and it comes out of his personal discovery in the Torah and Chassidic Judaism.”

Furthermore it claims, “The Message of Ariel Cohen Alloro is perfectly balanced between Judaism and Christianity and is using the proper tools to create unity among all believers in a Messianic redemption of the world.

“When you listen to Ariel, please bear in mind that every statement he makes is in perfect harmony with traditional Judaism and yet it fits the concepts of traditional Christianity too in an unusual way, a way that Jewish mind can absorb and Christian mind can fathom. It is a phenomena how Tree of Joseph (Christianity) and Tree of Judah perfectly unite and become one Tree….”

A brief video of their later meeting provides a useful summation for Andrew stresses in introducing his friend that,

“What rabbi Cohen is insistent upon is that Jesus has a role in returning to the real Israel – NOT some theoretical Israel in the sky! – but Israel here and now.”

Be discerningly blessed as you listen and investigate. In part 3 we will briefly recap upon developments as well as consider a Messianic standpoint.

Brief ‘Bio’:

Mentioned occasionally on this blog, this will introduce overseas and newer readers to Canon Andrew White, Vicar of St. George’s Church in Baghdad and president of The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East. Andrew works to provide spiritual home, medical care and humanitarian relief to the region while promoting reconciliation among Christians, Jews and Muslims in the most dangerous areas of the world.

Before his 15 years in Baghdad, he served as a mediator between Israel and Palestinians and rose to prominence in the Siege of the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. Personal contacts with Yasser Arafat and Israeli PM Ariel Sharon resulted in their joint approval to a draft declaration against violence in the name of religion. This was put to religious leaders of all three Holy Land faiths. Through exhausting discussions agreement was reached but the only difficulties came from Christians(!!), who “often feel they have to be even more Palestinian than the Muslims, to show how committed they are to the cause”, on top of “rivalries and tensions between different denominations”!!

The outcome in January 2002 was ‘The Alexandria Declaration’, from which many other initiatives have arisen despite continual violence. Andrew writes, “The sticking points were not theological but political”. (See Encouraging news from Iraq.)

Read also Cranmer’s Canon White deserves a Knighthood, which concludes by saying he deserves a gallantry medal.