Jewish-Christian Understanding

A group gathers as part of the Jewish-Christian understanding collaborative

The McFarland Center is committed to interreligious understanding, in particular Jewish-Christian understanding, through a range of initiatives on campus and through sponsorship of Readings from the Roots.

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Jewish-Christian Understanding programming through the McFarland Center

Kraft-Hiatt Program for Jewish-Christian Understanding

The Kraft-Hiatt Program for Jewish-Christian Understanding supports campus and community-wide educational initiatives that foster understanding of Judaism and Jewish culture, as well as dialogue between Jews and Christians. The McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture administers the program, including scholarships for students and faculty to study in Israel as well as regularly scheduled on-campus lectures.

 

Past events include:

Additional events can be viewed here.

Meet the Kraft-Hiatt Community

A Faculty Advisory Committee oversees the Kraft-Hiatt initiative. Its members include:

Study and Research Opportunities

The Kraft-Hiatt Fund has enabled Holy Cross faculty to attend seminars at Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, as well as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and has supported students' study abroad at Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

Opportunities for Faculty

Over the years, Holy Cross has sent a number of faculty members to participate in the intensive International Seminar for Educators Teaching about the Shoah and Antisemitism at Yad Vashem. With Kraft-Hiatt support, some faculty have taken advanced seminars offered by Yad Vashem and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and have participated in international conferences on the Holocaust, Jewish heritage and ethics. The McFarland Center welcomes proposals from faculty for study and travel to develop research and teaching competencies in the Judaism, Jewish history, and Jewish-Christian relations.
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Opportunities for Students

Students interested in studying abroad at the Rothberg Summer Institute at Hebrew University in Jerusalem may apply for a partial scholarship through the Kraft-Hiatt program. Applicants must submit a personal essay of at least one and one-half pages, double-spaced, showing how their course of study in Jerusalem would promote Jewish-Christian understanding. They must include two academic recommendations and submit the Kraft-Hiatt Scholarship form located on the Holy Cross Study Abroad online application system. Applications are due mid-November.

Please contact Thomas Landy, director of the McFarland Center, Kraft-Hiatt Professor Alan Avery-Peck, or visit the Office of Study Abroad in Smith Hall 216.
Contact Thomas Landy
Contact Alan Avery-Peck
Learn more about Study Abroad

Readings from the Roots

trees in a foggy forest

Readings from the Roots is a historically sensitive translation of the Revised Common Lectionary with the goal of reducing the potential for anti-Judaism by enriching Christianity through its roots in Judaism.