The U.S. bishops this week underscored the "deep spiritual bonds" between Catholics and Jews and the need to build "genuine friendship and understanding" between the two religious groups, with the message coming ahead of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
The holy day for Jews involves fasting and atonement and is held in late September or early October. In 2026 it begins at sunset on Sept. 20 and ends by nightfall on Sept. 21.
In a video message released Sept. 18, Scranton Bishop Joseph Bambera, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' ecumenical committee, noted that the Jewish holiday "invites a searching examination of the year that has passed and a commitment to the year ahead."
"At the heart of this observance is the recognition that our relationships with God and with one another call us continually to reflection, repentance, and renewal to consider how we can live more faithfully and more generously," he said.
The relationship between Catholics and Jews, Bambera said, is "not simply a matter of dialogue" but rather is "rooted in the deep spiritual bonds" between the two ancient religions.
He noted the shared patrimony between the two faiths as well as the scriptural texts that both share. Building "genuine friendship and understanding" between the two religions "matters so deeply," he said.
Bambera further noted the need to "reject anti-Semitism in all its forms." Catholics, he said, are called to opposite that form of hatred as well as to deepen their understanding of Judaism and Jewish people.
The prelate cited the Second Vatican Council's declaration Nostra aetate, which in part refuted the practice of antisemitism "at any time and by anyone" and which stressed the links between the ancient Jewish faith and the origins of Christianity.
Interreligious dialogue "is not merely an exchange of ideas" but rather "creates friendships, builds trust, and helps us recognize our responsibilities toward one another," Bambera said.
The bishop concluded the video by wishing Jewish viewers "Gmar Chatima Tov," a traditional greeting during the Yom Kippur season.
