U.S. Christian Leaders Begin Year-long Study of Judaism in Israel

AJC and the Shalom Hartman Institute are pleased to welcome the 23 prominent North American Christian leaders that will comprise Cohort V of the Christian Leadership Initiative (CLI), an intensive 13-month educational program on Judaism, a partnership of AJC and the Hartman Institute in Israel.

The program begins and ends with seminars in Israel. The first 10-day Israel based seminar will begin July 12 in Jerusalem, with a seminar entitled, “Encountering Judaism: Faith, People, Land.” In between the two summer seminars, participants, representing diverse Christian denominations, engage in monthly distance-learning sessions, and study classical and modern Jewish texts with leading Israeli and North American Jewish scholars. “

CLI transforms Christian leadership understanding of Judaism and Israel, fostering an intellectually open environment of the type needed to secure positive interreligious relations,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC’s Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. “Christian-Jewish relations are advanced by CLI, as fellows apply this experience in their roles as Christian thought leaders.”

“This is a unique program, bringing together a diverse group of American Christian academics and Church leaders,” said Dr. Marcie Lenk, Shalom Hartman Institute’s Director of Christian Leadership Programs. “Here in Jerusalem they will study and meet with a wide variety of Jewish scholars and leaders. There is so much that we can all learn from one another.”

With generous support from the Allen H. and Selma W. Berkman Charitable Trust, and from Jean Weidner Goldstein and Alfred R. Goldstein, CLI has been educating top leadership of Christian seminaries, denominations, and churches since 2008. The 81 CLI alumni come together for periodic symposia to deepen their knowledge of contemporary Jewish thought.

CLI Cohort V participants beginning in Summer 2016 are:

• Rev. Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, Professor of New Testament, Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
• The Rev. Doris K. Dalton, Executive Director, Westchester MLK, Jr. Institute for Nonviolence, White Plains, NY
• Rev. Lillian Daniel, Senior Minister, First Congregational Church, Dubuque, IA
• Rev. Meredith Dodd, Pastor, Seattle, WA
• Dr. Brian Flanagan, Associate Professor of Theology, Marymount University, Arlington, VA
• Dr. Adam Hearlson, Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship; Director, Wilson Chapel, Andover Newton Theological School, Boston, MA
• Rev. David Heim, Executive Editor, The Christian Century, Chicago, IL
• Rev. Dr. Charles (Chaz) L. Howard, University Chaplain, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
• Rev. Dr. Katie M. Ladd, Pastor, Queen Anne United Methodist Church, Seattle, WA
• Dr. Kyong-Jin Lee, Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA
• Rev. Jessica MacMillan, Stated Clerk and Associate for Equipping Leaders, The Presbytery of the Western Reserve, Cleveland, OH
• Rev. Grey Maggiano, Rector, Memorial Episcopal Church, Baltimore, MD
• Rev. Jacquelina Marquez, Associate University Chaplain, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
• The Rev. Dr. Loida I. Martell-Otero, Professor of Constructive Theology, Palmer Theological Seminary/Eastern University, King of Prussia, PA
• Dr. David Mengel, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
• The Rev. Mario Milián, Rector, St. Thomas Episcopal Parish, Coral Gables, FL
• Dr. Daniel J. Olsen, Assistant Director, Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Archdiocese of Chicago, Chicago, IL
• Rev. Dr. Jason Poling, Senior Pastor, New Hope Community Church, Catonsville, MD
• Rev. Dr. Robert Scott, Senior Pastor, Central Baptist Church, St. Louis, MO
• Rev. Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson, Assistant Pastor, Allen Temple Baptist Church, Oakland, CA
• Dr. Amy Uelmen, Lecturer, Georgetown Law School, Washington, DC
• Dr. Reggie Williams, Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics, McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL
• The Rev. Canon Manoj Zacharia, Sub-Dean, Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati, OH

About the Shalom Hartman Institute

The Shalom Hartman Institute is a pluralistic center of research and education deepening and elevating the quality of Jewish life in Israel and around the world. Through our work, we are redefining the conversation about Judaism in modernity, religious pluralism, Israeli democracy, Israel and world Jewry, and the relationship with other faith communities. Our work focuses on developing and enhancing:

Judaism and Modernity: Developing compelling Jewish ideas capable of competing in the modern marketplace of identities and thought. Religious Pluralism: Building a Jewish people and a State of Israel that respect and celebrate diversity.

Jewish and Democratic Israel: Ensuring Israel's foundations as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people committed to equal rights and religious freedom for all.

Jewish Peoplehood: Forming a strong mutual commitment between world Jewry and Israelis as equal partners in the future of Jewish life.

Judaism and the World: Serving as a gateway for leaders of other faiths to engage with Judaism and Israel and build new foundations of understanding and cooperation.

For more information on the Shalom Hartman Institute and to arrange interviews with CLI program participants and leaders, contact Media Director Alan Abbey at alan.abbey@shi.org.il or by phone at +972-50-658-3105

About AJC

AJC (American Jewish Committee) is the global Jewish advocacy organization, with headquarters in New York, 22 regional offices across the United States, and 10 offices around the world, including one in Jerusalem. Founded in 1906, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.

Interreligious relations have been a cornerstone of AJC since its inception. Mutual understanding, religious freedom, and peace and security for peoples of all faiths are essential elements in fulfillment of AJC’s global mission. AJC has paved the way as a global leader in Christian-Jewish relations and interreligious affairs more broadly.

Contact Kenneth Bandler at bandlerk@ajc.org.