I approached City College High School with excitement and trepidation on the first Tuesday in February, arriving for the initial session of the ICJS High School Genesis Project. I have been lucky, over the past two years, to serve as a group facilitator for these fascinating discussions among students from area high schools as they explored stories from the book of Genesis. Cain and Abel, The Tower of Babel, The Binding of Isaac, Jacob and the Birthright: stories Jews and Christians have in common, but stories we read very differently. I was delighted to find that High School students were hungry for interfaith dialogue.

Each Tuesday, following the requisite pizza and schmoozing, and Chris Leighton's introduction to the topic of the evening, I had the pleasure of sitting around a table with a half-dozen students reading and discussing the Bible.

As I guided and participated in discussions with these exceptional students, my mind was opened, my beliefs were challenged, and my concepts of sacrifice and familial respon-sibility were refocused. I am not certain that we came to any new conclusions. In fact, I am certain that we did not reach any agreements except that we agreed to disagree. I know for sure that we did not uncover any new scholarly theories, but I am certain that each of us looked inside ourselves to under-stand better where, when, and how our own belief systems were developed.

Do we agree with the students who said that Abraham was right to follow G-d's instructions because G-d would never instruct humans to do something improper? Do we believe that Jacob and Esau forgave each other when they became reac-quainted some twenty years after their estrangement? And what is forgiveness? How do the relationships between Cain and Abel, and Jacob and Esau reflect our own relationships with siblings? These questions, and many more, were posed and pondered each week. The level of conversation among the students in this program was a real source of inspiration to me.

I am proud to have participated in a project that offered stu-dents the opportunity to explore religious perspectives other than their own, to refocus their religious lenses, to share their personal and familial perspectives, and to recognize the importance of dialogue in their lives.

The ICJS High School Genesis Project is a think-tank composed of intelligent, curious, religious and secular, open-minded, talk-ative, creative, aware young adults. This project encourages participants to consider their own fundamental beliefs in a communal setting with others whose beliefs are vastly different. What a unique opportunity to expand our own per-spectives and question and/or recommit ourselves to our beliefs!

I look forward to next year's project: to continued learning with students, for the opportunity to explore together what we believe, and to examine the ways in which we process and communicate those beliefs.