In Memory of Bernie Manekin
Posted September 9, 2009
Bernie Manekin died in his home on Saturday, September 5th. We knew him as one of the co-founders of the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies and a visionary in the world of interfaith relations. From its inception twenty-three years ago until his passing, the ICJS remained one of his passions. He believed that we could not overcome two thousand years of distrust and hostility without developing new habits of mind and heart within our religious communities. He championed scholars and religious leaders who demonstrated a daring imagination and a commitment to collaborative learning.
Yet Bernie, the builder, was beloved because he constructed from the ground up. He forged deep and lasting friendships that spanned religious and ethnic divides. He delighted in relationships that expanded his horizons and that quickened his curiosity. His eye was trained for beauty, and his ear attuned to the subtle melodies of less familiar music. He insisted that we are traveling on a road with dangerous potholes, and he exhorted us to pay careful attention to the nitty-gritty details. At the same time he directed our gaze to the highest peak. He marveled at the fact that Jews and Christians had finally begun to discover wisdom within each other's traditions. He celebrated their willingness to challenge one another while honoring their irreducible distinctiveness. He said that he did not think that he would live to see the day when Baltimore would recognize its religious diversity as a blessing, and he stood in awe of the distance that we have traveled in his lifetime. The changes that he witnessed convinced him that we live in an age of miracles. Almost anything can happen, and he hoped and prayed and believed in a better future for generations to follow.
His confidence in the goodness of others and his conviction that we can each lighten the load of our neighbors were not anchored in the naiveté of the dreamer. His hopeful disposition was hammered out of hard-won experience. Pessimists may be more realistic, but they do not live as long, laugh as hard, see as far into the future, or have nearly as much fun. To be sure, his family will mourn his loss, for he made each and every one of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren feel like the apple of his eye. Yet for an educational institution that holds fast to a delicate possibility and labors in a world that so easily goes awry, all of us at the ICJS will also miss his unflagging reassurance. The world will become a bit dimmer deprived of one of its shining stars. All of us will have to burn more brightly to honor his memory.
Dr. Christopher M. Leighton
Executive Director, ICJS
Make a donation to the ICJS in memory of Bernard Manekin.
