Bernice and Morton Lerner Distinguished Professor of Judaic Studies honored with Upstander Award
Marc Zvi Brettler and Amy-Jill Levine present The Jewish Annotated New Testament to Pope Francis.
Charlotte, NC
On Tuesday, October 28, the Stan Greenspon Holocaust Education Center and Queens University of Charlotte hosted an interfaith event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, and presented the Greenspon Upstander award to Professor Marc Zvi Brettler, Bernice and Morton Lerner Distinguished Professor of Judaic Studies.
Each year the Greenspon Center presents the Upstander Award to an individual who has taken great risks and exhibits great courage in responding to hate. Professor Brettler has profoundly advanced Jewish-Christian relations through his groundbreaking biblical scholarship and interfaith engagement.
Brettler’s scholarly contributions have served as a bridge between Jewish and Christian communities, fostering mutual understanding and respect through shared scriptural exploration. As co-editor with Amy-Jill Levine (T’Duke MA19’81, PhD’ 1984) of The Jewish Annotated New Testament, Brettler helped illuminate the New Testament through a Jewish lens, offering insights that challenge stereotypes and deepen theological dialogue; this book has been translated into Dutch, German, and Italian. Brettler and Levine wrote a follow-up volume, The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently. Brettler’s work emphasizes the historical and cultural contexts of sacred texts, encouraging both Jews and Christians to appreciate the richness of their intertwined traditions. His commitment to civil discourse—especially in times of societal polarization—has modeled how rigorous academic inquiry can coexist with empathy and openness. His presentations to religious leaders, including Pope Francis, underscore the global impact of his scholarship and its role in promoting interreligious harmony. Through his teaching, writing, and public engagement, Brettler has become a vital voice in transforming polemic into possibility, making him a cornerstone of contemporary Jewish-Christian relations.
Bishop Michael Martin, of the Diocese of Charlotte, and former Director of the Duke Catholic center, also spoke at Queens University of Charlotte this event, which focused on the history of Jewish-Catholic relations in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on the Catholic Church’s relations with Judaism, Islam and other world religions. Rabbi Dr. Judy Schindler, Sklut Professor of Jewish Studies at Queens University of Charlotte, and Rabbi Emerita of Temple Beth El in Charlotte, opened the event.
In his keynote, Professor Brettler addressed the challenges of interreligious dialogue, suggesting that religious communities must acknowledge that their “traditions contain certain problematic theological ideas,” a motivation of his own study and scholarship of the Hebrew Bible. Brettler urged religious communities to embrace the “full range of traditions and counter-traditions” in their sacred texts so that modern believers can follow the “better” traditions, like those found fostered in Nostra Aestate and especially the important documents that it spurred.
The evening also featured a multifaith panel discussion focused on how to improve interfaith relations. Participants included representatives from the Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu communities; Dr. Adrian Bird, chaplain at Queens University and president of the Mecklenburg Metropolitan Interfaith Network; and Gianna Mars, president of the Catholic Campus Connection at the university.