Setting the Table for Listening Across Michigan

At a time when division and animosity are continually on the rise, the Kaufman Interfaith Institute is excited to be working with our Talking Together partners on piloting a statewide depolarizing project called Michigan Listens. Read more about this initiative, which aims to amplify the values and lived experiences of everyday Michiganders through storytelling.

Kicking Off the Cohorts: Diving Deep and Coming Up For Air

At our Kick Off Retreat for our Interfaith Leadership Cohorts, the Kaufman staff facilitated foundational conversations to create brave spaces of growth for the year ahead, all held together with the glue of camaraderie and a bit of good ol’ goofiness.

Question of the Month

Our year at Kaufman is centering on the transformative power of narrative. In living into this theme, we would love to hear parts of your story. Each month, we will pose a new prompt to hear from our Kaufman community directly. The following month, we will share snippets of what we've heard, to keep us all connected.

Click here to view this month's question and submit your answer

Save The Date

September 25, 2025 - Interfaith Book Group | Orphan Children of Bethany: Fifty-Seven Years of Life in the West Bank | Meetings Twice a Month, Wednesdays 2pm

September 29, 2025 - Sacred Site Visit | Islamic Cultural Center Behar, 6pm-7:30pm

September 30, 2025 - Tuesday Table Talk: Exploring Our Spiritual Legacy, 6pm

October 8, 2025 - GVSU | Padnos/Sorosik Center for Civil Discourse | Families & Politics, 1pm-4pm

October 16, 2025 - Padnos Public Engagement Lecture: Land, Language, and People: Arab and Jewish Imagination in the Late Ottoman Empire, 7pm

October 28, 2025 - Community Event | One America Movement |Science of Listening, 3pm-4:30pm

November 18, 2025 - Community Event | One America Movement | A Fireside chat with Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin and Pastor Tom Breeden, 3pm-4:30pm

November 24, 2025 - 26th Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration, 7pm