A gala-opening evening was held on December 14, 2015 in Beth Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Jewish People, preluding a unique conference: commemorating 50 years to the Vatican's Second Council declaration stating that the Jewish people are not responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, and are still considered to be a chosen people – a declaration that was actually a theological earthquake.

During the opening evening of this conference, a collection of documents and researches that was prepared in Tel Aviv University was presented. This collection reflects the efforts made by the Catholic Church in order to instill this declaration among its believers. The translated documents compiling this collection are now published in Hebrew for the first time. 

The Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Israel, the Honorable Judge Elyakim Rubinstein participated as well as Cardinal Kurt Koch, head of the Papal Committee for Religious Relations with the Jews, who arrived from Rome to actively participate. The full text of Judge Rubinstein's lecture can be downloaded from this link. Cardinal Koch read a document, heard for the first time outside the Vatican, written by Pope Francis summing up the relations of the Church and Judaism, emphasizing that the Jewish people are in fact the Nation of the eternal covenant. This declaration, states an honorable approach towards the Jewish people and the recognition of its uniqueness, along with firm denunciation of antisemitism of any sort.

Tel Aviv University and the American Jewish Committee (the organizers of this conference) are very proud of this joint effort, and of having brought this highly important issue to the public awareness.