Both the Bishop of Massachusetts and local Jewish leaders hope to put their recent, public disagreement behind them, but their views remain far apart following a hastily convened meeting Nov. 7.

The meeting followed participation by the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, and the two bishops suffragan, the Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris and the Rt. Rev. Roy F. Cederholm Jr., in a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the Israeli Consulate in Boston on Oct. 30 [TLC Nov. 25].

The meeting of Jewish and diocesan leaders was called after news of the bishops' participation threatened to fracture a local religious community that had previously prided itself on the cordiality of its interfaith Jewish-Christian relations, according to the Boston Globe.

Both sides told the Globe afterward that they deplored the violence in the Middle East, but could not agree on whether the preponderance of guilt for the violence lay with the Israelis or the Palestinians.

A joint statement following the meeting acknowledged the differences and called for more dialogue.

"We know that we will have disagreements about important issues, but our meeting today showed both the depth of our feelings and the urgency of our going forward together. We have lacked a venue in which to hold necessary discussions and agree that we must create an environment in which we can talk."