The Melanchthon Institute and the Holocaust Museum Houston will co-sponsor an academic panel discussion on "Martin Luther and Judaism" with special guest, the Rev. Dr. Franklin Sherman. Dr. Sherman serves as chair of the Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and has participated in Christian-Jewish dialogues at the local, national, and international levels.
Dr. Rochelle L. Millen, Professor of Religion at Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio; and Dr. Irving Kelter, Chair of the History Department at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, will discuss the history, consequences, and ELCA rejection of the anti-Jewish writings of Martin Luther. They will also discuss the repudiation of these writings by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Anna Steinberger, a member of the Holocaust Museum's Academic Committee. This event is co-sponsored by The Melanchthon Institute and the Holocaust Museum Houston.
Holocaust Museum Houston and the Melanchthon Institute of the Lutheran Church have joined to sponsor an academic program focusing on Martin Luther's anti-Jewish writings. The scholarly dialogue is set for Sunday, November 2, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Museum, 5401 Caroline Street. Admission for this educational discussion with three top experts on history and theology is free.
Dr. Franklin Sherman, Associate for Interfaith Relations with the Department for Ecumenical Affairs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); Dr. Rochelle L. Millen, Professor of Religion at Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio; and Dr. Irving Kelter, Chair of the History Department at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, will discuss the history, consequences, and ELCA rejection of the anti-Jewish writings of Martin Luther. The panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Anna Steinberger, a member of the Holocaust Museum's Academic Committee.
Dr. Sherman has been instrumental in leading the ELCA to the repudiation of Luther's anti-Jewish diatribes. He is the former Director of the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding at Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania and has been a visiting professor at universities in the United States, Switzerland, Ireland, Japan, and Zimbabwe. He has written numerous articles, essays, and reviews in the areas of theology, ethics, and interfaith relations and has done research in Israel at the Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies and the Shalom Hartman Institute.
Dr. Millen teaches courses on Jewish tradition, history of anti-Semitism, Judaism in the modern world, and women and religion. She also co-teaches a course on Germans and Jews and has won academic awards from McMaster University, Stern College for Women, and Yeshiva University. She chaired Wittenberg University's international conference on "Teaching the Holocaust: Issues and Dilemmas," held in November 1993 in cooperation with Yad Vashem, and she was co-editor of New Perspectives on the Holocaust (NYU, 1996). Her book titled Women, Birth, and Death in Jewish Law and Practice will be published by University Press of New England in January, 2004. She co-edited the book Tensions of Teaching the Holocaust, which will be published by University of Washington Press in the fall of 2004. In addition to her teaching duties, Millen was a founding co-chair of the Religion and Genocide Section of the American Academy of Religion.
Dr. Irving Kelter has been studying and teaching aspects of Jewish history for the past several years. This year he was a member of the National Endowment for the Humanities Institute, "Representations of the Other: Jews in Medieval Christendom," held at the Oxford Center for Hebrew and Jewish Studies in England. Dr. Kelter has developed and taught courses on "The Holocaust in History" and "Jews in Europe: 300-1700," and is developing a course on "The Holocaust: History and Film."
Over 65,000,000 people around the globe identify themselves as Lutherans, following the teachings of the 16th century theologian, Martin Luther. Although not part of Lutheran Church doctrine, members must also acknowledge the founder's anti-Jewish writings and violent recommendations against the Jews.
The panel will examine writings such as "On the Jews and Their Lies," written by Martin Luther in 1543. Luther started the Protestant Reformation in 1517 with his Ninety-Five Theses, a document outlining a series of points he wanted to discuss with Roman Catholic leaders regarding certain teachings, most importantly the selling of "letters of indulgence." His ideas caught on with many powerful people of the time and the Reformation movement soon swept across Europe.
Early in his career, Luther was known as a moderate with conciliatory feelings toward other faiths, even protesting the treatment of Jews and Anabaptists by Roman Catholics. His 1523 work, "That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew", recognized the origins of Christianity and countered traditional medieval anti-Semitism. Late in life, however, suffering from disease as well as depression over the death of his daughter, Luther was prone to outbursts of rage against those who would not convert to his beliefs. It was during these latter years that he wrote violent articles against the Jews.
Centuries later, in the 1930s, the Nazi Party reprinted the little-known writings and used them to justify and support their actions against the Jews. In 1994, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America formally rejected this "violent invective," grieving for the tragic consequences of the writings and denouncing the appropriation of Luther's words for the purpose of teaching hatred toward Jews.
The Museum's academic program will shed light not only on the history and effects of these writings, but will reflect the new state of relations between Lutheran Christians and the Jewish community, raising awareness of the growing understanding and cooperation between Lutherans and Jews in the worldwide battle against prejudice and hatred.
For Lutherans who have not visited the Holocaust Museum Houston, this outstanding panel discussion is an excellent opportunity to tour one of Houston's finest museums. The architecture echoes images, symbols and memories of the Holocaust. The large round structure made from black brick is reminiscent of the ghastly smokestacks. The posts connected by wire remind everyone of the barbed wire fences used to define the concentration camps. The architectural features are designed to create impressions and thoughts that will cause visitors to more fully grasp the terrible tragedy of the Holocaust.