The Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership of Hebrew College was honored to co-host the 2023 conference of the International Council of Christians and Jews, one of the most important annual gatherings of Christian and Jewish leaders and scholars. Two of the conference’s four days of learning and dialogue were held at Hebrew College. Boston College, Boston University, and Simmons University also hosted various conference events. 

The ICCJ and its member organizations have a distinguished history of serving as change agents in Jewish-Christian relations—and Hebrew College was honored to contribute to that legacy by co-hosting the 2023 conference. 

“The ICCJ Conference 2023 highlighted the importance of thoughtful dialogue in fostering harmony and embracing diversity within the relationship of Christian and Jewish communities,” said Julia Verbeek, an ICCJ conference volunteer and anthropology Master of Arts student at the University of Vienna in Austria. “The conference equipped me with invaluable insights into both the theoretical and practical dimensions of interreligious engagement, which I can immediately apply in my work with youth.” 

By Rev. Tom Reid, Associate Director of the Miller Center 

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. Dr. Judith Oleson, former director of the Tom Porter Program on Religion and Conflict Transformation at Boston University School of Theology, is our Beacon of Hope for the month of June. 

This month’s Beacons of Hope column takes a more somber note as we honor the passing of our dear friend and colleague Dr. Judith Oleson. She died on June 10, 2023 after an extended struggle with cancer.

Judith was a fierce advocate for peace and justice, as well as a dedicated and caring teacher, mentor, and friend to many. She was a beloved faculty member during my Master of Divinity studies at Boston University School of Theology (STH) and became the director of the Tom Porter Program for Religion and Conflict Transformation at STH in May 2019. Among the many hats she wore, Judith generously agreed to serve as the faculty sponsor for the Interfaith Club at STH while I was a student. She also enthusiastically served on the editorial staff of the Journal of Interreligious Studies, which Hebrew College jointly publishes with BU and Hartford International University.

I had the opportunity to work most closely with Judith on a travel seminar to the Balkans in January 2018, which she developed and facilitated. Several of my classmates and I also spoke on a panel about that experience and the importance of contextual education at the international gathering of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. It was Judith who encouraged us to do so. Prior to coming to STH, Judith taught at Gordon College, where she built a relationship with James and Petra Taylor of the European Center for the Study of War and Peace in Zagreb, Croatia that included a course she taught several times on post-conflict social reconstruction. Through that challenging and sacred work, Judith introduced many students to the beautiful, rich, and complex history and culture of the Balkans. And she brought those cross-cultural relationships and insights to STH.

I am profoundly grateful to Judith for her guidance and friendship, and am still struggling to come to terms with her passing at far too young an age. 

Thank you Judith for the love and authenticity with which you approached everything you did and everyone you encountered. I will continue to cherish the wisdom you so kindly shared with me. May God’s light perpetual shine upon you and surround all those who knew and loved you.

For more information on Judith’s life and plans for a celebration of life, please visit the funeral home webpage. 

State of Formation: A Miller Center Publication 

The Miller Center co-publication State of Formation recently published a fantastic new batch of articles from our undergraduate fellows. Two are featured below.  

The Art of Dialogue as Dance: Authenticity, Generosity and Spontaneity  

By Sharaya Johnson  

“As interfaith leaders, it is important for us to have effective conversations, and it is through the art of listening and responding that we can create deeper bonds and substantial growth. As our community refined our skills of engaging in dialogue across differences, we also experienced the beauty and joy of engaging in less structured ways of communicating.” 

Read here.

Story-telling and Story-listening: my Interfaith Journey 

By Evan Chester

“When I approached interfaith, I embarked on it with the same focus on stories. Though I have comfort and familiarity within the realms of Judaism, my Jewish communities on campus and elsewhere represent but a fraction of the people surrounding us. While there are commonalities to traditions and practices and holidays with many of the Jews I meet, there is still so much I don’t know about other faiths and customs (even within Judaism!). And so when I joined the BILI Launchpad Fellowship and attended the Interfaith Leadership Summit this past summer I sought out stories.” 

Read here.

By Rabbi Or Rose, Director of the Miller Center

One highlight of the ICCJ conference for me was our visit to the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground of Boston University (BU). There, we viewed a recent documentary film about the life and work of the Reverend Howard Thurman (d. 1981) and discussed his legacy today. Rev. Thurman, a distinguished African American preacher, writer, educator, and pastor, played a key role in the Civil Rights Movement and was a groundbreaking interreligious and cross-cultural leader. 

Thurman’s 1949 book Jesus and the Disinherited was widely considered a foundational political-theological text among Civil Rights leaders, including his student the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Representative John Lewis often referred to Thurman as the “pastor” of the Movement, as the latter provided MLK, Lewis, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Pauli Murray, and others with spiritual council throughout their years of struggle for equity and justice. In 1953, Thurman became the first African American dean of BU’s Marsh Chapel and the first Black person to hold such a position at any majority-white university in the United States. 

Read the full reflection here.