The Executive Council of UNESCO has approved a proposal by the World Jewish Congress that the 850 th anniversary of the birth of Maimonides — the great Jewish philosopher and physician — be celebrated during 1985.
The resolution, which was unanimously adopted, was submitted by Spain, the native land of Maimonides, and co-sponsored by France, Cuba, Venezuela, Italy, Mexico, and Pakistan.
The resolution notes that next year marks the anniversary of Maimonides, “the philosopher, physician and jurist who was active at the crossroads of the great civilizations of his time and eminently contributed to the diologue between cultures.” It associated UNESCO with “the celebration of this anniversary and to the observances to be organized by the interested governments and non-governmental organizations.”
The WJC, which holds consultative status in UNESCO, first proposed UNESCO’s association with the Maimonides anniversary during the organization’s 22nd General Conference in October, 1983 when the WJC representative, Prof. Jean Halperin, suggested that observances of the anniversary could help foster a Judeo-Moslem cultural dialogue.
He noted that Maimonides, born in Cordoba in 1135 and who died in Cairo in 1204, contributed decisively to the dialogue between cultures and the encounter between Jewish, Arab, Greek and Christian thought.
In adopting the resolution, the Executive Council noted “that the ongoing effort toward peace and international understanding rests on an active dialogue among cultures (and) that all civilizations are part of a common heritage.”
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