Heppenheim, November 19, 2013
Dear friends and colleagues,
With pleasure, the International Council of Christians and Jews has heard of the activities organized by the Confraternidad Judeo Cristana del Urugay at the occasion of its 55th anniversary. We are honored to add our congratulations and best wishes for the future to the many the CJCU Board no doubt will receive.
More than 55 years ago, Rabbi Dr. Fritz Winter, Father Justo Asiaín and Rev. Emilio Castro came together and decided to establish the Uruguayan Jewish-Christian Confraternidad. They were the first on the Latin American continent to give the friendly relations between Jews and Christians a solid organizational structure. Now that Rev. Castro, as the last of the three CJCU founding fathers, passed away earlier this year, we may conclude with gratitude that their brave decision formed the first step of a now 55- year- long history of improving and strengthening the bonds of friendship that started it all.
The ICCJ Executive Board also remembers gratefully the excellent cooperation between the Uruguayan Confraternidad and the ICCJ. The Montevideo international conference held in 2001 is a good example of our common efforts and the 2014 conference of the ICCJ Young Leadership Council in Uruguay will be a next step. This YLC conference and the 2014 ICCJ Buenos Aires conference no doubt will bring us closer to each other, continuing the bonds of personal friendships, as well as expanding the interfaith activities of many of our Latin American friends.
The ICCJ wishes the Confraternidad in Uruguay many more years to come and is looking forward to being a small part of your continued successful work.
Dr Deborah Weismann, ICCJ President
Rev Dick Pruiksma, ICCJ General Secretary
55 years CJCU Uruguay
