March 25, 2026
The 2026 international conference of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) will be held in Hanover, Germany, July 12 – 15 and the theme of the conference is "Repentance, Repair, and Reconciliation: Religious Resources for Tumultuous Times.” The ICCJ and its highly experienced conference team at ICCJ's headquarters in Heppenheim, Germany is honored to organize the conference in cooperation with its German member organization, Deutscher Koordinierungsrat der Gesellschaften für Christlich-Jüdische Zusammenarbeit (DKR), supported by a knowledgeable and dedicated planning committee. Working together with and being supported by local institutions, religious organizations, and civic authorities, this conference will welcome people from around the world to the city of Hanover.
CONFERENCE THEME: When relationships are strained, rebuilding them can be challenging. Over the last few generations, through dialogue, many Jews, Christians, and Muslims have overcome difficult histories, though there have been crises and controversies along the way. Each tradition has its own vocabulary and unique approaches to the concepts of repentance, repair and reconciliation; all, however, are based on affirming the dignity of every human being. How do we prioritize the inclusive and universal aspects of our traditions over any tribalism or bias against others? One aspect of the conference will focus on these teachings. A second dimension of the conference will be more practically oriented. Interreligious dialogue both benefited from and contributed to the deepening appreciation of the significance of repentance and repair in our shared societies. Repentance and repair have found expression in societal and political endeavors beyond the interreligious arena. For example, in Germany, the handling of the past has shaped several generations. In the United States and Australia dealing with the treatment of indigenous peoples and the descendants of the enslaved has been controversial. Other examples may emerge from our member organizations. But the continuing conflict between Israel and its neighbors will be on all our minds: are there ways, given our different contexts, that we can promote repentance and repair in this region so central to our religious and individual self-understanding as Jews, Christians and Muslims? How can we promote repentance and repair in a time of conflict and war in our own communities and globally?