New York, NY, October 25, 1995...Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the historic Vatican II declaration Nostra Aetate, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has just released a new interfaith publication written by two leaders in American Catholic-Jewish relations. Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Vatican II Declaration Nostra Aetate (No. 4) on Catholic-Jewish Relations: Programs and Resources by Rabbi Leon Klenicki, Director of the ADL Interfaith Affairs Department, and Dr. Eugene J. Fisher, Associate Director, Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, explores the impact of Nostra Aetate on interfaith dialogue, and includes an innovative chapter on the Jewish understanding of Christianity.

"Vatican II and the publication of the Nostra Aetate document," said Rabbi Klenicki, "marked a special moment in the history of the Church and its relation to other religions, especially to Judaism. Nostra Aetate repudiated the centuries-old Christian teaching of contempt for Judaism and the Jewish people. This change in theological attitude was the result of a profound reckoning of the soul on the part of the leadership of the Church."

Rabbi Klenicki was one of several Jewish leaders who met with Pope John Paul II in New York recently, and he and Dr. Fisher have also just published Spiritual Pilgrimage: Texts on Jews and Judaism 1979-1995, a book of the Pope's writings, speeches and homilies on the importance of Judaism and the Jewish people, which documents the extraordinary role played by Pope John Paul II in the historic dialogue between Jews and Catholics.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.