Antisemitism is on the rise here in the United States, in Europe, and all over the world. The attitudes and actions that fuel this despicable form of racism and intolerance range from subtle and barely imperceptible to blatant and horrifying. How is possible that so many people have forgotten, or never learned, the lessons of the Nazi holocaust’s unspeakable inhumanity?

Evil is never completely banished from human hearts and minds. Every new generation must confront racism and intolerance, and unless we remain vigilant, the vicious ideologies that promote hatred and injustice gradually take over.

The dialogue between Christians and Jews encouraged by the Second Vatican Council’s document Nostra Aetate is essential to combatting the resurgence of antisemitism. By mutual agreement, the Catholic Church and mainstream Judaism do not seek to “convert” one another. We accept that our two faiths worship the One God and share the teachings contained in the Old Testament, even if we interpret them differently. The purpose of Jewish-Christian dialogue is to better understand one another out of respect for the religious beliefs and moral precepts that we have in common.

Regarding the end result of dialogue between Jews and Christians, Pope Benedict XVI once wrote, “As far as is humanly foreseeable, this dialogue will never lead to the unity of [Judaism and Christianity] within human history. This unity is reserved to God at the end of history.” This means that we must accept the fact that we are fellow believers in the One God of Abraham who seek him by different paths. It also means that the differences between our faith traditions should be respected, even reverenced, and not rejected or ridiculed.

We Christians have violated this principle many times—sometime grievously—over the years. We who believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ have been given an urgent responsibility to uphold Nostra Aetate and the teachings of recent popes including Pope Francis. We need to reverence and respect our Jewish sisters and brothers because they remain chosen people of God whose mission is to give witness to him to the whole world.

There is no better place to put into practice the virtues of mutual respect and collaboration between people who disagree with one another than in the relationship between Christians and Jews. The fact that we do not agree does not make us enemies. On the contrary, what we share in common should make us stronger and more tolerant of one another.

The vile antisemitism that confronts us today is a wake-up call. Either we take seriously the fraternal relationship that exists between Christians and Jews, or we risk being overwhelmed by the forces of racist ideology that increasingly threaten us.

While it is true that our history is marked by failure, it is also a firmly held belief shared by Jews and Christians that our God is loving and merciful and that our only hope is in him.

Daniel Conway