McFarland Center Events to Deepen Jewish-Christian Understanding

The Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at the College of the Holy Cross will present programs this fall that explore Jewish history, culture and contemporary life, and foster Jewish-Christian relations and interreligious dialogue. These programs include a film screening and panel discussion for “Raise the Roof,” which documents Massachusetts-based artists Rick and Laura Brown as they undertake the restoration of an roof and painted ceiling of a Polish synagogue destroyed by Nazi; a book talk in partnership with the Worcester JCC by best-selling author Rabbi Harold Kushner; and a visit by U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom David Saperstein, a rabbi and attorney who will speak on his work fighting religious persecution, discrimination and genocide around the world.

The events, all free and open to the public, are supported by the Kraft-Hiatt Fund for Jewish-Christian Understanding at Holy Cross.

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m., Rehm Library Raise the Roof: Film Screening and Panel Discussion — This film documents artists Rick and Laura Brown of Handshouse Studio in Norwell, Mass. as they reconstruct the elaborate roof and painted ceiling of an 18th-century synagogue that was destroyed by Nazis in Poland. Leading over 300 students and professionals from 16 countries, the Browns grappled not just with the echoes of World War II, but also with warped timbers, tricky paints, and period hand tools. Following the screening, the Browns and featured artist Ariel Rosenblum will join Holy Cross lecturer Thomas Doughton and Michael Beatty, associate professor of visual arts, for a discussion of the history and art of the synagogue. Co-sponsored with the Department of Visual Arts and the Cantor Art Gallery.

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 5 p.m., Mary Chapel (Lower level of Saint Joseph Memorial Chapel) An Ottoman Tableau of Faith: Lecture and Demonstration — The DÜNYA collective will present a historical tableau of different religious musical practices in Islam, Christianity and Judaism, especially centered in Ottoman Istanbul. The many layers of communal interaction in the city created deep historical and musical influences between these religious traditions. Co-sponsored with Arts Transcending Borders.

Wednesday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library --CANCELLED Nine Essential Things I’ve Learned About Life — Harold S. Kushner is rabbi laureate of Temple Israel in Natick and the best-selling author of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” (Random House, 1981) and 12 other books. In his latest book, “Nine Essential Things I’ve Learned About Life” (Albert A. Knopf, 2015), Kushner draws from his teaching, study and experience to offer a lifetime’s worth of spiritual food for thought, pragmatic advice, strength for trying times, and inspiration for a more fulfilling life. Presented in collaboration with the Worcester JCC and Worcester Community Hebrew High, this program is made possible by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Central MA.

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library After the Holocaust the Bells Still Ring — Rabbi Joseph A. Polak, author of the award-winning memoir “After the Holocaust the Bells Still Ring” (Urim Press, 2015), will explore how he (a toddler at the time), together with his mother, survived two concentration camps, and, after the war, battled demons of the past, societal rejection, disbelief and invalidation as they struggled to reenter the world of the living.

Monday, Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom David Saperstein is a principal advisor to the President and Secretary of State and serves as the United States’ chief diplomat on issues of religious freedom worldwide. He will speak on the work to promote religious liberty around the world and to fight religious persecution, discrimination and genocide by groups like ISIS.

The Kraft-Hiatt fund, established in 1990 through the generous donations of prominent Worcester philanthropist Jacob Hiatt and his daughter and son-in-law Myra and Robert Kraft, supports campus and community-wide educational initiatives that foster understanding of Judaism and Jewish culture, and dialogue between Jews and Christians. Their gift also endows a professorship in Judaic Studies at the College and supports student and faculty scholarship in Israel. The fund is administered by the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, with the assistance of a Kraft-Hiatt Faculty Advisory Committee.

Many of the McFarland Center’s talks are video recorded and made available online. Visit holycross.edu/mcfarlandcenter to learn more.