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October 3, 2008
ICJS Steps Up Interfaith Dialogue
Neil Rubin
Editor
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At 10 a.m. on a recent Thursday, Jerusalem’s ancient Temple rose and fell anew on Dulaney Valley Road. As it happened, the Christians and Jews witnessing it were left struggling with how to survive in a world bereft of the home of God’s presence on Earth.
“It’s almost like chutzpah — five guys sitting around reading Torah? That’s like going to the Temple in Jerusalem?” Dr. Adam Gregerman offered in explaining a Jewish response to the cataclysmic event of 70 C.E., and detailing its lasting impact.
The new Jewish scholar at the Institute of Christian and Jewish Studies (ICJS) was leading a talk during the opening week of the Bunting-Meyerhoff Center, the ICJS’s new home. The well-lighted and comfortably designed two-story structure seems to have every wall adorned with crammed bookshelves — at least the walls without religious-themed art.
Also new to the ICJS this year is Rabbi Ilyse Kramer, a Reconstructionist spiritual leader who for the past eight years has taught here in various educational settings. Her published curricula include “Tales From The Talmud” and “Mahkloket: Sacred Arguing In Jewish Tradition.” In addition to teaching, she is charged with creating print and online curriculum for past and present ICJS initiatives.
“Adam and Ilyse represent different and complementary theological and religious perspectives that will heighten our awareness of the diversity within the Jewish community, and that’s enormously important for Christians, just as it’s enormously important for Jews to have a more nuanced understanding of Christians,” said Rev. Dr. Christopher Leighton, ICJS’s executive director.
Dr. Gregerman, 35, arrived in Baltimore a few weeks ago with his wife, Rachel Lerner, from a teaching position at Connecticut College. He did graduate work at Harvard University Divinity School, Columbia University and Yale University.
He replaces Rabbi Joel H. Zaiman, who returns to his position on the ICJS executive committee.
Helping Dr. Gregerman prepare for Christianity’s complexity and diversity, in addition to teaching at Connecticut College, was instructing seminarians at the Union Theological Seminary, a liberal Protestant operation.
“One thing that always impressed me was the sincerity of their interest,” he said of his students.
Likewise, he’s looking forward to interacting with Baltimore’s evangelical community. He noted a late March statement in The New York Times by some evangelical leaders on the need to keep proselytizing Jews, but respectfully.
“What was remarkable was the tentativeness of it, that they were aware that they were in a minefield of great pain and potential misunderstanding,” he said. “It’s not for me to tell evangelical Christians how to live out their vision of their religious lives, but I do recognize the powerful impulse toward some type of reconciliation to get over the difficult relationship of the past.”
In his spare time, Dr. Gregerman has enjoyed raising dogs to serve blind people in both this country and Israel. He’s also a fan of outdoor activities such as hiking and jogging, not to mention kayaking and canoeing.
Much of his research focuses on Jewish and Christian theological explanations for the Second Temple’s destruction in 70 C.E.
“It’s a vibrant topic academically and in contemporary life because of what’s happened in the past two decades [in Christian-Jewish dialogue],” he said. “What’s great about ICJS is the balance between pushing the research forward and bringing it to a broader audience. It’s easy to forget that half a century ago nobody did this.”
Next Up At ICJS
Upcoming ICJS public programs include:
- “Jerusalem on Earth and In Heaven: The City and its Hold on the Religious Imagination of Jews and Christians,” by Dr. Adam Gregerman. Oct. 28 (morning and evening session)
- Choral Conversation, a panel discussion on Handel’s oratorio, “Israel in Egypt,” presented in conjunction with Baltimore Choral Arts. Discussion will focus on the Exodus texts that underlie this piece. Performance of the oratorio follows. Nov. 2, 1:45-2:45 p.m.
- “Religion and the Arts: Reel Religion,” by Jed Dietz, president, Maryland Film Festival Board of Directors. Nov. 12, 7 to 9:30 p.m.
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For information, contact the ICJS at 410-494-7161.