After attracting more than 1000 attendees in its first year, the World Religions Symposium is back, seeking to encourage religious dialogue with a series of seven CLPs focusing on Jewish identity and theology.
Called “Judaism: Ancient Conversation, Contemporary Voices,” the series runs from Oct. 22 to Dec. 2 and boasts thirteen sponsors — including the Office of the Chaplain, the Jewish Student Association, and the Religious Council — emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach to understanding religious traditions.
“Any time you’re focusing on one religious tradition, you’re looking at it from a whole gamut of perspectives,” said Assistant University Chaplain Maria Swearingen, a member of the leadership team for the World Religions Symposium. “It’s not mono-departmental.”
The first CLP in the series, held Oct. 22, was a discussion on “Jewish Identity and the Impact of Antisemitism” featuring Cherie Brown, the Founder-Executive of the National Coalition Building Institute, an organization that leads workshops aimed at eliminating racism in communities.
“Tonight, I want to take you on a journey to better understand my people,” Brown said as she began her speech about her experience as an American Jew growing up in the 1950s. Her talk included a brief clarification of what it means to identify as Jewish, an analysis of antisemitism’s many forms, and finally a discussion of how to develop a more welcoming and inclusive campus community.
The CLP series includes discussions led by other preeminent scholars, activists, and clergy from both local and national Jewish communities. One CLP will explore American Jewish history while another will be a panel discussion with local rabbis about rabbinical practice from different Jewish theological perspectives. Another CLP will feature Trude Heller, wife of former Greenville mayor Max Heller, who will share her story of living in Austria in the early years of the Holocaust.
The World Religions Symposium also incorporates other annual events like the Charles H. Townes Lecture on Faith and Reason, a lecture series established in 2006 designed to explore the common ground between science and religion.
“Why not support a fantastic event that already works well with the overall purpose of the symposium?” Swearingen said.
The Symposium’s focus on Judaism is also connected with the Greenville community’s Year of Altruism event, which commemorates the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the first instance of state-sponsored violence against Jews in Germany and Austria, by celebrating humanist ideals.
The Muslim Student Association spearheaded the effort to start the World Religions Symposium last year, though it was unknown whether the event would become a university tradition. The idea garnered support across departments and religious groups, but those planning the symposium were uncertain of how it would be received by the broader Furman community, Swearingen said.
But over 1,000 people attended the CLP series, and that success led the university to make the World Religions Symposium into an annual event.
“Last year's World Religions Symposium and this year's so far really show how the collaboration of many different organizations can produce diverse and enriching events for anyone (students or visitors) to benefit from," said Andrew Kantor, president of the Jewish Student Association, via email.
Religious traditions touch on everything from history and politics to music, language, and culture, a fact reflected in the diversity of the Symposium’s programming. Last year’s World Religions Symposium, for instance, included an event focusing on Islamic traditions in sustainability.
Members of different religious traditions expressed their support for the program’s attempt to jump-start dialogue about religious differences.
“You always hear how it’s not polite conversation to bring up religion,” said Jenna Barnett, a member of the Furman Interfaith Youth Core and the Mere Christianity Forum. “The World Religions Symposium breaks down that stigma and allows us to talk about religion in a healthy way.”
Campus Rabbi Alana Wasserman claimed the Symposium is helping to make Furman’s campus a more inclusive place.
“The Jewish students really appreciate the World Religions Symposium, and I’m sure the Muslim community appreciated it last year,” Wasserman said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”