In 2007, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College received a three year grant from the Luce Foundation to be used to pursue three main goals. 1)Develop effective new models for training rabbinical students to engage with people of other faiths 2)Explore ways to infuse interfaith awareness into the culture of a rabbinical college through internships, co-curricular activities,etc 3)Share our work with others.
For most of Jewish history, it was not considered important or even desirable for rabbis to study religions other than Judaism. Today, it is indispensible. Despite the time consuming demands upon RRC students to master the languages and literature of the Jewish people, there has been an institutional commitment and matching student interest in exploring interfaith education.
With the help of the Luce Foundation–and with your help as readers of the blog– we are working hard to increase our efforts and to extend our influence.
In March, 2010, we learned that our grant will be renewed for an additional three years. During that time, we hope to continue to innovate within RRC and to share our new programs, ideas and conversations with our blog readers.
