By Sarah Pollack, Hebrew College Rabbinical Student

"We are now in the Hebrew month of Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashana. As we inch closer and closer to the New Year, we’re called to use this month to do a spiritual scan. What are the relationships that I didn’t tend to and would benefit from an apology?...

If we choose the repair, a knot is tied in the string making it shorter. And the site of the knot is thicker and stronger than the rest of the string. Therefore, an apology is an opportunity to strengthen a relationship."

Watch the full teaching.

By Rev. Rob Schenck, Visiting Scholar of Christianity & Religious Leadership at Hebrew College

Evangelicals, like me, are often called "Bible Christians." Reading, studying, and memorizing biblical passages are central to our faith and practice. Ipso facto, most of my coreligionists are conscious of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. However, they likely know less about how focused the season is on repentance.  

For me, the start of this New Year is all about penitence. Twelve years ago, I broke from evangelical orthodoxy—theologically, socially, and politically—after seeing the injury my haughty moral certitude was doing to the world. After more than a 40-year odyssey through a religious landscape marked by misguided spiritual supremacy and contemptuous exclusion of the other, I embarked on a new journey that now includes naming those past transgressions and offenses. My plans to make restitution in the New Year(s) are just as important.  

It seems the world could heal much more quickly if more people undertook the soulful exercises of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and those vitally essential days in between! 

If you enjoyed Rev. Schenck's teaching, consider joining us on October 15th for "Religious Leadership & Public Repair," a conversation with Rev. Rob Schenck and Abigail Disney, Filmmaker / Philanthropist / Activist.

The conversation, moderated by Rabbi Or Rose, Director of Hebrew College’s Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership, will include clips from Disney’s award-winning documentary, The Armor of Light, to explore Schenck’s evolution as a minister, his relationship with Disney, and their reflections on the need to forge relationships across divides. This will include discussion of lessons learned, current projects, and future possibilities.

Register today!

By Marilyn Stern, Director of Special Projects

Amidst the beautiful nature-filled setting of the MIT Endicott Retreat Center in Dedham, MA a diverse group of 22 outstanding high school student leaders—hailing from different neighborhoods across Greater Boston—came together to kick-off the fourth annual cohort of the Dignity Project run by the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership of Hebrew College. 

During the three-day overnight retreat, these passionate young leaders, recruited from local schools, civic organizations, and houses of worship, laid the foundations for a “community of practice,” rooted in the values of hospitality, humility, authenticity, interconnection, and empathy that they will continue to build over the six-month fellowship program. 

Read more about the 2023-34 Dignity Project’s opening retreat on Hebrew College’s blog. 

By Roman Williams, PhD, Founder of Interfaith Photovoice 

Every month, we honor an individual (or group) who inspires the bridge-building efforts of the Miller Center. Each honoree uniquely embodies the values of inclusivity, justice, and compassion.

Dorothea Lange (1895-1965), the famous Depression-era photographer and photojournalist, is our Beacon of Hope for the month of September. This nominee was submitted by Roman R. Williams, Ph.D., founder of Interfaith Photovoice. 

Dorothea Lange, arguably one of the most famous photographers in US history, was not a religious person as far as I know. At least, she wasn’t a publicly religious person. But she inspires my own interreligious work through the way she wielded her camera, saw embodied stories within human faces, and used her photos to instigate social change.  

Even if the name doesn’t ring any bells, you know the work of Lange. Her “Migrant Mother” is one of the most recognizable photographs ever taken. Taken in Nipomo, California at the height of the Great Depression, the “Migrant Mother” is an exemplar of Lange’s typical dignified approach to photographing the poor, the outsiders, those often depicted without dignity. For Lange, our photographs tell us something about how we see the world. She taught that “the camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” 

Dorothea Lange helped teach me how to see others with dignity, respect, and empathy. 

We Want to Share Your Beacons of Hope 

Until today, our Beacons of Hope have been our Beacons of Hope. But we want to feature your beacons of hope, like Dorothea Lange—the people or organizations that inspire your interreligious efforts. Please use the following guidelines as you share your s/heroes with us:  

Share your Beacons of Hope with the Miller Center. 

Thank you for inspiring others! 

State of Formation: A Miller Center Publication 

The Miller Center co-publication State of Formation recently published a fantastic new batch of articles (and podcasts) from Building Interfaith Leadership Initiative (BILI) Launchpad Fellowship undergraduate fellows. Two are featured below.  

Building Interfaith Connections on Campus: Potluck Style  

By Zia Saylor

“I’ve been to a lot of potlucks in my life, but my favorite potluck was one that didn’t serve any food: the potluck of interfaith dialogue. While a potluck with no food may sound oxymoronic, I call it this because it represents how we gathered as a group, each person bringing their own experiences and perspectives, which resonated with me. Through my time in the BILI fellowship and in doing group work with BILI, I truly grew to understand how potlucks–literally and metaphorically–are important to interfaith life and organizing.” 

Read here. 

Podcast: Understanding Interfaith through the Development My Own Faith 

By Wanci Nana

“One pillar that developed in my frame of mind was that the essence and greatness of God are unfathomable. They cannot be confined to the parameters and constructs created by humanity.” 

Listen here.. 

Jewish and Christian Thought and Practice: Face to Face and Side by Side 

Where? Online 

When? Wednesdays 7:30-9 pm EDT: 10/18, 11/15, 12/20, 1/17, 2/21, 3/20 

Taught by Rabbi Michael Shire, Ph.D., this course provides a fresh and enterprising look at Judaism and Christianity in their shared experience, their conflictual experience and their integrative experience. We will explore the history of God from Jewish And Christian theologies; read the shared Testament (Old Testament/Tanach) in Judaism and Christianity; consider our environmental responsibility; examine racial justice and equity in Jewish and Christian thought and practice; compare visions of the good life and the good death in Judaism and Christianity; discuss the possibilities and potential of Jewish and Christian partnerships; and learn about contemporary Jewish-Christian theology with guest lecturers including the Miller Center's own Rabbi Or Rose.

Learn more and register.