The past few months have brought several significant staff transitions at the Dialogue Institute and the Journal of Ecumenical Studies, most notably the departure of both Racelle Weiman and Meliani Murtiningsih, and the arrival of Tim Emmett-Rardin as our new Director of Marketing and Development.
Leonard Swidler Interviewed in The Journal of Inter-religious Studies
Dialogue Institute founder and president Leonard Swidler was recently interviewed for the latest issue of The Journal of Inter-religious Studies. In the interview, Dialoguing with a Dialogue Pioneer, Professor Swidler is invited to reflect on his "pioneering work in the field of interreigious dialogue and the future of this evolving discipline."
The Journey of a Lifetime – New Book Shares the Journey of Dr. Leonard Swidler
We live in the era of dialogue, an era Leonard Swidler helped birth. This is his story: the son of a Jewish Ukrainian immigrant and an Irish Catholic, a boy who set out to become an intellectual and a saint. There Must Be YOU: Leonard Swidler’s Journey to Faith and Dialogue explores how and why, out of this aspiring Norbertine priest, there emerged Professor Swidler of today: a teacher, a reformer of the church, a preeminent feminist, and one of the fathers of interreligious dialogue with an international following, who argues passionately that Dialogue is a matter more than of peace-making but of living authentically human in a fundamentally dialogical universe…
DI Hosts 20 Students from Southeast Asia
DI Hosts Yazidi Activist Vian Dakhil on U.S. Tour
Dialogue Institute (DI) Chair of the Board of Directors Majid Alsayegh and DI partner Huner Anwer recently hosted Iraqi member of Parliament and Yazidi representative Vian Dakhil on an outreach trip to strategic US cities. Dakhil is on a mission to call attention to the humanitarian crisis facing her people. She received international media attention last summer for her impassioned plea from the floor of Iraqi Parliament on behalf of the Yazidis, tens of thousands of whom were stranded on the mountains of Mt. Sinjar as they attempted to flee ISIS militants…
DI Partners with Hong Kong Baptist University to Launch Asia Interreligious Development Network
The Dialogue Institute, in partnership with Hong Kong Baptist University launched the Asia Interreligious Development Network with an initial gathering in Hong Kong of 15 Asian scholar-activists from 10 different countries, December 10-12, 2014. The three-year project is funded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia, with participants representing China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.
Dialogue Institute Represented at Annual AAR Conference
The Dialogue Institute (DI)/Journal of Ecumenical Studies (JES) presented new books and papers at this year’s American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) Conference, held on November 22-25, 2014 in San Diego, CA. A themed DI exhibit display also offered conference attendees the opportunity to network with DI staff members, learn about how the DI is actively engaged in interreligious and intercultural affairs both stateside and abroad, and purchase a wide array of books penned by DI Founder and President Dr. Leonard Swidler as well as two edited by the Institute’s director, Rebecca Kratz Mays.
DI Alumni Launch Interfaith Youth Forum
DI/J.E.S. Bids Farewell to Key Staff Member
Dialogue Institute (DI) Director of Programs and Grants, Dr. Julie Sheetz-Willard, will be transitioning from her work with the DI/Journal of Ecumenical Studies (JES) into a new position as the Associate Director of Campus Ministry for Ecumenical and Interfaith Outreach at Villanova University, Villanova, PA…