What are religions supposed to do: on what domains of life do they impact and what do they achieve?
What happens in times of crisis? Do crises enhance the functioning of religion, undermine it or both?
The recent COVID-19 pandemic allowed us to study the function of religion at a moment of global crisis.
We will hear from scholars of religion what they understand about the way that religions operate and we will hear from some of the world’s most prominent religious leaders about how they dealt with challenges during COVID-19, through a unique series of interviews carried out by the Elijah Interfaith Institute, titled “Coronaspection”.
Topics include:
Understanding the human condition
Interconnectivity: the place of humans in relation to each other and to the universe
The role of religions in social service and acts of kindness
The forms and functions of prayer and meditation
The role of religious leadership
Summer school activities include
academic lectures
panels of scholars and religious leaders
viewing and analyzing video messages of world religious leaders (Coronaspection project)
small group textual study
prayer and meditation
anchoring activities in religious sites in Jerusalem and elsewhere
Around Old City Jerusalem, pointing out holy sites.
[THESE TIMES ARE JERUSALEM TIMES] Sunday 2nd August - virtual tour around the Old City of Jerusalem. Meet at Damascus Gate at 10:00 am. Wednesday 5th August - prayers at the Kotel and Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Meet me at Jaffa at 9:30 am. Sunday 9th August - Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem - Meet at 10:00 am the entrance of Yad Vashem. Tuesday 11th August - Meet at the botanical gardens at 3:00 pm.
Religion provides the path for a relationship with G-d/ (with something greater than ourselves). Can we build a “storehouse of spirituality” to equip us for times of crisis?
“Redefining and expanding definitions of community.” To what extent has this crisis impacted on our interfaith community, extending even to those without a strong religious community?
Where does Religion take place – heart, home, community? What is the balance between these loci of the religious life in different traditions and what happens when the “normal” is disrupted.
Where does religions take place – heart, home, community? What is the ideal balance and what is the role of each of these “sites” in the religious life of the community and the individual?
(geared towards day 9) – preparing questions for leaders on the meaning of religious leadership and the challenges to religious leaders in times of crisis and as we emerge into the future.
of the summer school and how we move forward as a spiritual community.
It is possible to register without payment. Please choose the full payment option if you plan to pay later or to request a discount or group price.
If you live in Jerusalem, host an overseas visitor and receive a full scholarship to attend the summer school.