Our Catholic-Jewish Commission of Southern New Jersey will soon be launching the fall lecture series of our Catholic-Jewish Institute for Understanding. The subject of our fall institute is “Moving Forward from Prejudice.” We will be exploring ways in which the Jewish, Catholic and Muslim communities have experienced prejudice over the last two centuries. We will discuss how our communities responded to and attempted to change this evil. We will also talk about how prejudice has changed us for the better or worse. We will also investigate together through dialogue how our mutual and individual experiences of prejudice will affect the future and how it influences how we relate to the outside world.
All classes will meet at 7:30 p.m. at the Weinberg Jewish Community Campus, 1301 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill: Oct. 14, Jewish Reflections, Speaker: Rabbi Reba Carmel; Oct. 21, Catholic Reflections, Speaker: Father Ken Hallahan; Oct. 28, Muslim Reflections, Speaker: TBA; Nov. 4, Interfaith Round Table.
Participants may earn a certificate in Christian-Jewish Relations from LaSalle University. Attendance of a minimum of at least 16 classes is required. Per-semester or per-session registration is available. Per Semester: $50 for participants pursuing the Certification in Jewish-Christian Dialogue/or $25 for participants not pursuing certification; Per Session: $20 for participants in the Certification Program/or $10 for participants not pursuing certification.
Please send checks (payable to “Catholic-Jewish Commission”) and registration information to: The Catholic-Jewish Institute for Understanding, c/o Catholic-Jewish Commission, 1301 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003. For information, call 856-751-9500, ext. 117.
Prejudice is an evil that has certainly affected Catholics, Jews and Muslims over the past two centuries here in the United States and around the world. We have all experienced the deleterious effects of being falsely stereotyped and misrepresented by the wider community in the United States. Some have been ostracized at work and in communities, while others have experienced hostility and even violence. Just when we think such ignorant ways of thinking and behaving are consigned to the past, we read of the experience of religious communities subjected to subtle and overt acts of prejudice. When allowed to go unchecked and challenged, prejudice can lead to the horrors that the Jewish community experienced during the horrors of the Shoah in the last century.
Even our local community witnessed the opposition to the building of a mosque in Voorhees that was laced with prejudice, ignorance and bias. Our religious communities rallied around our local Muslim friends and championed their just cause. Please come out and learn more about the history of our religious communities struggle with bias and how we have experienced and combated the evils of prejudice. Bring your own family stories and learn how to help eradicate this insidious evil from our communities. I hope to see you at our fall series.
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”