The 'Day of Israel: culture and Jewish life', which was held at UCAM earlier this week marked a new encounter between Christianity and Judaism. José Luis Mendoza, President of the UCAM; Moisés Bendahan Israel, Rabbi Chief of the community of Madrid, Diego Sanchez, Vice-Rector of the Seminary Redemptoris Mater of Galilee; and Antonio Alcaraz, Director of the Department of Humanities and Religion at the UCAM, all took part in this event.

Moses Bendahan Israel gave his opinion about the relationship between Judaism and Christianity by stating:” It is all about trying to find links between Judaism and Christianity and it is important to remember that they have a common origin. Therefore it is important that we strengthen our ties of fraternity and unity and continue to organize there types of events to enable the spread of both Judaism and Christianity, and bring the world's attentions to the parallels between these two religions".

When asked about his publication titled “The revelation at Mount Sinai and its impact on history” Moses Bendhan Israel said that it was based on "ethical and spiritual values that are common to the two religions. In today's society, we must promote these values which help us as individuals to become better people. We have a message to proclaim ".

On the same note José Luis Mendoza, reiterated the importance of finding more points in common between the two religions rather than differences: "We are heirs of Jewish culture. We have had a significant Jewish presence in Spain since before Jesus Christ. During the Diaspora there were more Jewish folk in Spain than in Israel. They are our elder brothers in the faith. As Christians we are nourished every day by the same message contained in the Torah. We read the Word of God in the Old Testament and we pray the Psalms , and this for us is the source of life and salvation. The only difference is that we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who gives life. Therefore we must remain united.”

The day also included the screening of the film 'Ushpizin', an exhibition on Hanukkah (the Festival of lights) and a conference on experiences of encounters between Judaism and Christianity.