Event: Dialogues on Divinity

Dialogues on Divinity: A Love That is Holy and True: Interreligious Discovery

Monday, May 20, 2024

6:30pm – 7:30pm

Cathedral
Community at the Crossing

Dialogues on Divinity: A Love That is Holy and True: Interreligious Discovery
As faithful witnesses to the word of God in the Torah, the Qur’an and the Gospel, members of different religions share a desire to live a life of love and justice, worthy of God’s promises. Join local scholars of Judaism, Islam and Christianity as they engage in dialogue on the pursuit of what is holy and true.

Dr. Burton Visotzky, Jewish Theological Seminary
Dr. Celia Deutsch, Barnard College
Dr. Hussein Rashid, Harvard Divinity School
The Very Rev. Patrick Malloy, Dean of the Cathedral

Tickets are pay what you can and be bought from here: https://www.stjohndivine.org/calendar/47805/dialogues-on-divinity-a-love-that-is-holy-and-true-interreligious-discovery

Video: Antisemitism and Allyship: Allyship is a Two-Way Street

Panel on Allyship is a Two-Way Street

Rabbi Burt Visotzky (moderator), Nathan and Janet Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies Emeritus, JTS
Rev. Dr. Dennis McManus, Professor of Dogmatics and Director of Spiritual Life, St. Patrick’s Seminary and University
Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, Associate Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership, JTS
Rev. Dr. Lisa Jenkins Brown, Senior Pastor, St. Matthew’s Baptist Church
Dr. Hussein Rashid, Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life, Harvard University

Video: Religion and Comics Panel

Religion and Comics Discussion

Throughout history, comic books have occupied many roles for religious communities. They continue to do so today. Comics have been mediums for both the positive and negative portrayal of religious belonging. They have served as objects of devotion as well as of controversy and censorship. Some comics are, themselves, religious artifacts. One might approach comics from a literary analytical perspective, identifying and analyzing the theological and otherwise religious themes and characters that appear therein. Join us for a conversation, however, that will discuss comics as sources for the study, teaching, and publication of American religious studies.

Host:
Matthew J. Cressler (Chief of Staff at the Corporation for Public Interest Technology, Independent Scholar)

Panelists:
Jenny Caplan (University of Cincinnati)
Yvonne Chireau (Swarthmore College)
Hussein Rashid (Harvard Divinity School)

April 18, 2024

Media Appearance: God at the Movies

God at the Movies: The Enduring Influence of Religion in Film

“Marvel is doing some interesting things with religion,” says Hussein Rashid, assistant dean for Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School. He mentions Loki and Thor about Norse Gods, and Moon Knightabout Egyptian Gods. “I am really curious to see if they will explore the Jewishness of The Thing, who is Jewish in the comics, in The Fantastic Four [2025].”

District 214 hosts World Religions Summit, explores religious diversity in a multicultural society

District 214 hosts World Religions Summit, explores religious diversity in a multicultural society

The all-day summit brought together 75 students from four schools, classmates in the district’s World Religions courses. Keynote speaker Dr. Hussein Rashid, assistant dean of Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School, talked about religion in the cultural landscape — how religion and religious traditions are embedded in daily life — with Chicago as a model.

Courtesy of District 214

Event: Antisemitism and Allyship (April 8-9)

ANTISEMITISM AND ALLYSHIP: ASSESSING THE PRESENT, IMAGINING THE FUTURE

Monday and Tuesday, April 8 and 9
In Person at JTS
3080 Broadway (at 122nd Street)
New York City

At this two-day convening, join us as scholars, religious leaders, and artists come together to discuss the timely topic of antisemitism and how best to respond to its threat. Given the choices for responding to antisemitism, we will explore the strategies that have proven most effective for combatting this hatred with a focus on allyship. Themes to be discussed include what does and doesn’t count as antisemitism, relations between Jews and non-Jews in historical context, the potential for allyship among religious faiths and communities (including interreligious dialogue as a key form of communication and connectivity), and the college campus as a site of division and potential alliance. In addition, we will feature artistic and literary responses to antisemitism as another means of creating a more tolerant society.

Details and registration: https://www.jtsa.edu/event/antisemitism-allyship-convention/

Video: Faith in Action: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Solidarity for Just Peace in Times of Conflict

This dialogue was held between three scholar-practitioners who drew inspiration from their respective faiths in order to advocate for a just peace. This talk provided an opportunity for a deep discussion of faith-based activism, liberatory readings of theological texts, and the complex and, at times, controversial role of multi-faith and international solidarity in the Palestinian liberation movement during times of crisis.

This event took place October 18, 2023.