Reading in Two Voices of an Educational Experience of Interreligious Jewish-Christian Dialogue

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear author,

I enjoyed reading your essay and have learned from it.  I found it to be a sound and compelling article. It is written with an excellent knowledge of the topic, someone who has observed the realities of interfaith exchanges in Italy and has a first hand familiarity of the activity and interactions with interfaith forums.  At the same time, the essay places the the research and observations within the larger context of interfaith dialogue and reconciliation between Catholics and Jews in the post Vatican II era.  The focus on a particular region and groups adds a great deal to our appreciation of the larger developments.

The essay is very well written. Lucid, coherent, well organized, well argued, excellent English!   It is evident, both from the body of the essay, and the very apt references, that the author posesses comprehensice mastery of the larger topic as well of the particular episodes they have researched. 

I recommend the publication of the essay enthusiastically! 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This article presents a compelling and timely case study of interreligious educational collaboration between the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) and the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). The authors offer a rich hermeneutic analysis of the “Sixteen Sheets on Judaism,” highlighting their potential to dismantle stereotypes and foster mutual respect within Catholic religious education. The dual-voice methodology is a notable strength, modeling dialogical engagement and epistemic reciprocity.

However, the article would benefit from a clearer account of the materials’ implementation in educational settings—such as adoption rates, teacher feedback, or classroom outcomes—to better assess their practical impact.

Additionally, while the manual, non-digital approach to content analysis is thoughtfully justified, a brief discussion of its limitations would enhance methodological transparency. The inclusion of more diverse Jewish perspectives and concrete examples of classroom application could further enrich the study.

Overall, this is a valuable contribution to the field of interreligious pedagogy, and with minor refinements, it could serve as a model for similar initiatives in other cultural and religious contexts.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This is a fine paper.  I learned a lot.  The cooperation is clearly evident and has had an impact.  It will be an example for other contexts where inter-religious dialogue can make a crucial difference.  

I have two suggestions that I think are important.

1.  The key contribution of this partnership impacted Catholic religious education.  It secondly began a partnership that seems to be moving into the future.  I wish the first introductory section focused on these outcomes and drew the reader in better.  The potentially profound impact to Catholic education in a Catholic country is important -- the development of the 16 sheets.  I wish the introduction could focus on the enhancing of Catholic education and the change implemented.  Something like:
   1. "How does one religious tradition, in a majority country, enhance the accuracy and quality of its education about other religions.  In Italy that occurred through . . . . .  This partnership will be important into the future . . . . "
2. Secondly, if this partnership is real, what are the next steps beyond the redrawing of the 16 sheets.  What do Jewish and Catholic leaders hope they can continue to do?  This is an important hope to add in the conclusion.

Author Response

See the attached file

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf