Scholar in Residence Weekend 2019
Jewish Spiritual Renewal in a Pluralistic Age • with Rabbi Or Rose
Session 1: Friday, February 8, 2019
Shabbat service at 7:30 pm with guest drash by Rabbi Rose:
“Towards a Theology of Jewish Pluralism”
The United States is one of the most religiously diverse societies in the history of humankind. How does this experience influence our understanding of such classical Jewish ideas as God, Torah, and Israel? How do we understand our relationship with people from different spiritual and ethical communities? What do we share in common, where do we differ? Join us as we explore the possibilities of Jewish spiritual renewal in our day, drawing on classical and contemporary sources to orient ourselves for life in a pluralistic age. There is no charge for this event.
Session 2: Saturday, February 9, 2019
Study with Rabbi Rose at 10:00 am
“American Mystics: Reverend Howard Thurman & Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi”
Howard Thurman and Zalman Schachter-Shalomi met in 1955 at Boston University. Thurman was a leading African American, Baptist preacher and writer; Schachter-Shalomi a young Hasidic rabbi and educator. Over the course of the academic year, they developed an unlikely teacher-student relationship based on a shared passion for prayer and meditation, rooted in similar mystical visions of reality. In time, Schachter-Shalomi emerged as a leading teacher of Jewish mysticism and spirituality in the United States. What drew these men together? Why was their friendship meaningful? What can we learn from the experiences of these early interreligious practitioners? There is no charge for this Shabbat event.
Session 3: Sunday, February 10, 2019
Brotherhood Breakfast at 9:15 am with guest speaker Rabbi Rose:
“Case Studies in Religious Cooperation & Challenge”
In this session, we will examine several short vignettes that invite us to think critically and compassionately about interreligious engagement in our daily lives, including in our homes, workplaces, and in our civic and religious institutions. How do we address issues of universality and particularity thoughtfully as Jews and as members of a democratic country? This event is free to CBE Brotherhood members, and $7 for non-members.
About Or Rose
Rabbi Or Rose is the founding Director of the Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership of Hebrew College. Before assuming this position in 2016, he worked in various administrative and teaching capacities at Hebrew College for over a decade, including serving as a founding faculty member and Associate Dean of the Rabbinical School. Rabbi Rose was also one of the creators of CIRCLE, The Center for Interreligious & Community Leadership Education, cosponsored by Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School (2007-2017). In addition to his work at Hebrew College, Rose has taught for the Bronfman Youth Fellowships, The Wexner Graduate Fellowship, Me’ah, and in a variety of other academic, religious, and civic contexts throughout North America and in Israel. A prolific writer and editor, his writings have appeared in Beliefnet, the Forward, The Huffington Post, The Times of Israel, Tikkun, and Sh'ma, as well as scholarly publications. Rose is also the co-editor of Speaking Torah: Spiritual Teachings from Around the Maggid’s Table (Jewish Lights), and the award-winning anthology, My Neighbor’s Faith: Stories of Interreligious Encounter, Growth, and Transformation (Orbis). In 2009-2010, he was selected as a member of the Shalom Hartman Institute’s inaugural North American Scholar’s Circle. In 2014, Northeastern University honored him for his interreligious educational efforts.