The Views of Rabbi Moses Feinstein, Rabbi Abraham Joshua ...

authoritarian regimes.‖ 82
In addition, a Jew might have reservations over the fact that
the document appears to place ―abortion in the same category as murder and
genocide,‖ 83 as the Jewish ethical tradition would consider the sacrifice of an unborn
child for the sake of the life of the mother ―the lesser tragedy‖ 84
and, thus, not
necessarily on par with ―murder and genocide.‖ 85
It should be noted that ―the official term‖ 86 employed at the Second Vatican
Council for Nostra Aetate: namely, ―Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian
Religions‖ can, itself, be viewed as an indication of the Church‘s unwillingness to make
as strong an effort toward reconciling with the Jewish people for which some had
hoped. This observation can be made in light of the way ―dialogue‖ was understood at
the time. Following World War II, ―the term ‗dialogue of religions‘ attained its modern
meaning…and was closely connected with Existentialism, especially the I-Thou
philosophy of Martin Buber.‖ 87
This meaning of ―dialogue‖ was: ―approaching the
other side as one encounters another person in dialogue—outside of doctrine, institution,
or any objective standards.‖ 88
Liberal Christians would use the term ―dialogue‖ when
characterizing the encounter between different religious communities as if to intimate ―a
humanistic dialogue of equals outside of doctrinal restraint,‖ 89 but more conservative
Christians, such as Catholics, would eschew its employment.
This conservative
Christian reticence could explain why the Catholic Church sought to employ
82 Bokser 138
83 Bokser 138
84 Bokser 138
85 Bokser 138
86 Brill 5
87 Brill 5
88 Brill 5
89 Brill 5
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