Blog

Imams Visit Auschwitz, Nazi Death Camp, Pray For Holocaust Victims

Posted May 23, 2013

Women: Living Philanthropy

Posted May 17. 2013

A Sermon For Water

Posted March 16, 2012

Authors’ note: Faiths for Safe Water is a project that seeks to unite all faiths around the singular religious symbol shared by all: Water. On March 17 at the historic Riverside Church in New York City, the faiths will gather for an informative and entertaining opportunity to learn more about…

From Many, One Nation: The Case of ‘All American Muslim’

Posted December 29, 2011

By Rabbi Jack Bemporad, Center for Interreligious Understanding, N.J., with co-authors: The Very Reverend Dr. James A. Kowalski, Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, New York City; Professor Marshall Breger, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. and former Reagan White House liaison to the Jewish community;…

‘All American Muslim’ Celebrates All American Values

Posted December 17, 2011

Editor’s Note: This piece is co-authored by:

Rabbi Jack Bemporad, Center for Interreligious Understanding, New Jersey

Professor Marshall Breger, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

Suhail A. Khan, Buxton Initiative, Washington, DC

The Very Reverend Dr. James A. Kowalski, Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine,…

Ancient Texting: The Urgency Of Muslim-Jewish Dialogue

Posted November 28, 2011

A profound event quietly took place this last week: Jewish rabbis and scholars in halacha (Jewish law) met with Muslim imams and scholars in sharia (Muslim law) to discuss how improved understanding and interpretation of the foundational texts, upon which their respective religious laws are based, can help bring the…

An Open Letter to Congress From Leaders of the Faith Community: Don’t Cut Foreign Aid!

Posted November 3, 2011

The human condition is a precarious one; we cannot separate ourselves from others who are suffering. All of us are vulnerable, and in these particularly vulnerable times, we have to be counted upon to do more to alleviate suffering in the world.

But with all the chatter about religion…

The Binding of Isaac: A Personal Meditation on Tests of Faith

Posted September 28, 2011

The Scriptural reading of the binding of Isaac is read on the first day of Rosh Hashanah in Reform congregations, and on the second day in Conservative and Orthodox congregations. According to the midrash (a commentary that expounds on Scripture), the binding of Isaac took place on Rosh Hashanah.

Review: ‘What is God?’ by Jacob Needleman

Posted June 21, 2011

If you are looking for a theologically erudite discussion of the nature of God, the Divine attributes of creation, revelation, and redemption — then this book will disappoint you.

But if you are concerned with asking and answering the question, “How can one approach the question of God in an…

Jews and Christians Still Have Much To Learn From Pope John Paul II

Posted April 30, 2011

I first got a sense of the meaning of interfaith dialogue as a 26-year-old student on a Fulbright fellowship in Rome. I was a newly ordained rabbi representing the Reform Jewish movement in a meeting with Pope John XXIII to discuss hunger issues. With the impetuousness of youth, I asked…

Fear Of Islam Violates Our Traditions

Posted August 31, 2010

Pope Benedict’s Interfaith Spirit

Posted May 28, 2009