Judaism and the World
“Muslim and Christian leaders are welcomed into our internal conversations and struggles with Jewish and Israeli identity to learn Jewish narratives and values. These experiences affirm my conviction in the power of investing in change agents, the power of sharing personal narratives and building intimate relationships, and the power of faith leaders to bring hopeful and proactive change to the world.”
Lauren Berkun, Nov. 2017
MUSLIM LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
Now in its fifth year, the Muslim Leadership Initiative (MLI) invites North American Muslims to explore how Jews understand Judaism, Israel, and Jewish peoplehood. During the one-year MLI fellowship, a select group of North American Muslim leaders travel to the Institute in Jerusalem for text-based, hevruta-style and experiential learning, and gather in person and online for continued learning in North America. MLI alumni continue to study with the Institute to deepen and broaden their understanding of issues affecting Jews in Israel and North America.
The program aims to foster sophisticated relationships between Jewish and Muslims leaders in North America that can weather disagreement and difficulty. In 2017-18, MLI graduated its fourth and fifth cohorts, bringing the total number of alumni across North America to 100. This past year, relationships between MLI alumni and Jewish leaders have been strengthened in a number of cities, including Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston, and in a number of fields, including academic, media, and pulpit. MLI alumni and Jewish peers collaborated on bringing their communities together to build relationships and discuss topics that are often taboo or controversial.
MLI Co-Directors Abdullah Antepli and Yossi Klein Halevi
CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS
Christian Leadership Programs develop a community of thousands of Christian clergy and intellectual leaders committed to building greater understanding and partnerships with Jews about Judaism, Israel, and North American life. The programs introduce participants to the rich tapestry of contemporary Judaism and Israeli society.
Christian Leadership Initiative
The Christian Leadership Initiative, in cooperation with AJC, brought together leading North American Christian scholars and clergy for study in Israel and through distance learning. The fifth cohort graduated in July 2017.
The
Christian Jewish Leadership Project
The Christian Jewish Leadership Project in partnership with the Jewish Community Relationship Council (JCRC), launched as a pilot with the JCRC of San Francisco, bringing together local Jewish and Christian leaders to explore the relationship to Israel over the course of 18 months, including a 10-day seminar at the Hartman Institute, and culminating in joint community projects back home.
Graduate School seminars
Hartman Institute seminars engaged groups of students from a variety of Christian colleges and divinity schools to modern Israel, Judaism, and Jewish peoplehood. SHI offered a seminar to students from Methodist Perkins School of Theology for the fifth year, while students from Evangelical Wheaton College benefitted from a monthlong experience at the Hartman Institute, including study, volunteering, excursions, and fellowship with Jewish student interns in July 2017.
passages pilot
seminar
In May 2018, for the first time, the Hartman Institute welcomed 130 graduate students from six evangelical theology schools who were visiting Israel on a Passages trip. Passages offers Christian students the opportunity to explore Israel as the land of the Bible and as a modern country; the Hartman component included an intensive two-day seminar on Judaism, Jewish peoplehood, and Israel.
THEOLOGY CONFERENCE
Founded on the belief that every religious tradition may be challenged and enriched by the doctrines of another, the International Theology Conference convenes Jewish, Christian, and Muslim theologians for a week of tripartite dialogue and interreligious study. Through an intimate, respectful, and rigorous academic encounter, participants engage in intensive textual study, sharing their beliefs, reflections, and dilemmas. The conference operates in a three-year cycle that gathers 30 scholars, drawn equally from the three faith communities. Each cycle addresses a particular theme, with the goal of generating innovative ideas around the theme that can help to enliven and enrich the religious life of each. The current three-year cycle focuses on different dimensions of religious identity.
IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE
