If you think you have more to learn about the Old Testament or the Jewish faith, you should join the Jewish- Christian Alliance club. This club, started by senior Josh Block, is a new club that brings two groups of people together and promotes the knowledge of both Christianity and Judaism.

“I started this club because many people are unaware of how Judaism works and I wanted everyone to have a better understanding of the two most prevalent religions in Highland Park,” senior Josh Block said.

The goal of the club is to get friends together and educate more people about their own religions and each other’s. The uniqueness of this club is that it provides a safe place to ask questions and learn more about a religion that is not your own.

“The alliance is important because it allows the religions to come together, and followers of the separate faiths can see the many similarities they share. Being Jewish means that I’m a religious minority, and I feel like creating the alliance breaks the barrier between the majority Christians and minority Jews in Highland Park,” Block said.

People that join the club obviously have an interest in learning about a different religion and becoming more aware of their surroundings is crucial. Living in a community with the majority of the same faith, lots of people tend to have a lack of knowledge for other religions, and it is very important to be aware of the traditions and values of other religions.

“I was immediately drawn to this club when I saw it at the club fair,” junior Anne Marie Sitton said. “I only have a few friends that are Jewish, and I think that is so unique, so I wanted to further educate myself on the religion and hopefully have a better understanding of the differences and similarities between the two. I think Judaism and Christianity are a lot more similar than people realize, and so I definitely think that creating this club was a great idea to have a club that educates everyone about both religions.”

Today, Jews and Christians have a reasonable expectation that the differences between the two religions will be addressed through interfaith dialogue rather than the violence of the past. This starts with the knowledge of society’s youth.