'For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same My Name is great among the nations and in every place offerings are presented to My Name, even pure obligations, for My Name is great among the nations, says the Lord of Hosts.' So wrote the prophet Malachi around 2,500 years ago, expressing the Biblical Jewish understanding, adopted by many modern Jews, that there are many valid paths to communion with the One God that we have each chosen to worship in our own particular way.

So it was with deep, spiritual delight that I read in the ISKCON Declaration that 'no one religion holds the monopoly on the truth, the revelation of God or our relationship with God.'

It seems that there are three different views that religious people might hold of other faiths. The first view, presented in 'ISKCON in Relation to People of Faith in God' as the position of the neophyte, is one of 'exclusivism and fanaticism'. There are many Jews, sadly locked into this position, who regard other faiths as inferior or idolatrous and therefore religious abominations. Mind you, they often also regard their fellow Jews, who inhabit the more liberal wing of our faith, in the same, if not even crueller, negative way! One eminent Reform rabbi was described by a leading Orthodox rabbi as a 'destroyer of the Faith'.

Then there is the relativist view, held by many in the modern world, of 'pick your own' religions. This includes those who believe that it does not matter which religious path you follow, provided it helps you lead a good ethical life with a spiritual dimension, and also those who pick the bits they like from different faiths and follow a mixture of their own choosing.

The relativist approach may sound good, but I suspect that few truly religious people feel it applies to their own faith. If all paths are equally valid for all then why teach about and encourage others to follow one particular path? It is very hard to be enthusiastic about such a relativist system of beliefs or to have any success in transmitting this to the next generation. The answer must be that you feel the path you are on has something special, unique and valuable to offer.

So the third view seems 'truest' to experience. To understand that there are truths to be found in other religions, and many values and practices that can help you with your own faith questions, but to accept that, just as you believe that your religion is best for you, so others have the right to believe that their religion is best for them. To me the image is one of a wheel. We live on the hub, God is at the centre, there are many spokes leading to that centre and usually, the best spoke is the one that starts near you!

Here comes the nub, the question of conversion. Judaism, some 2,000 years ago, went through a conversionary period, and found that mass conversion was not helpful. In the intervening period, conversion to Judaism was a dangerous business. (In Christian medieval Europe those converting to Judaism were often liable to execution, as was the rabbi who helped, and the community was liable to expulsion. This did not tend to encourage the com-munity to be open to such things!) In the modern world, the orthodox Jewish community is still very suspicious of those who wish to join us, but small numbers do, every year. However, we do not go out seeking converts, that is not part of our culture. We believe that good people of all faiths will have a place in 'The World to Come' and therefore we do not feel any religious need to pursue a proactive role in conversions.

On the other hand, we are a tiny group. We have not yet made up the numbers lost in the Holocaust. In Great Britain, we number about 200,000 souls. Any attempts made to convert our young and vulnerable are therefore met with dismay. And, with the appalling level of Jewish education in this country, and because of the open nature of the society in which we live, there are many young Jews who are attracted to the religions of the East, unaware that they could find almost everything they seek within their own rich heritage, if only they knew where to go.

So I am afraid that the early activities of the Hare Krishna movement have led to a great deal of suspicion in the Jewish community, and this may take some time to dissipate. True dialogue can only take place among those who have no conversionary agenda, and those who are secure in their own faiths. I note with relief and delight that this is recognised in your declaration.

God is so great. One of the Hebrew names for God is Ayn Sof, 'Without End'. How can any religion imply that we know all there is to know, that we have the one true path. We must acknowledge that there are different paths that suit and/or challenge different people or cultures. Let us thoroughly explore our own particular faiths and then in friendship and respect, we can learn much from each other.