Last year a group of Jewish and Christian leaders pioneered a new initiative. The Leadership Forum, a dream that was hatched by the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies and The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore and funded by the Richman Family Foundation. ICJS scholars and Associated staff were impressed by the quality of the parti-cipants, the study, and the discussion, and concluded that this venture holds great promise in and beyond Baltimore. Consequently, we have planned a second year of five monthly gatherings from December through April at the homes of ICJS friends and board members. The format will include a brief presentation on the evening's topic, small group text study, and a concluding plenary discussion. Sessions will be led by ICJS scholars and guest lecturers.

This year's Leadership Forum will revolve around questions of conflict. Participants will study and discuss some of the re-sources within both the Jewish and Christian traditions that offer insight, wisdom, and challenge regarding the complex issues that surface in the adjudication of conflict. We are convinced that the ability of leadership to respond creatively to conflict can determine the character of our own democracy and our relationships with others around the world. Our hope is that over time Forum participants will discover that they can do their best thinking about the most pressing issues of the day in the presence of people who see and interpret the world differently.

The Leadership Forum is limited to approximately fifteen Jews and fifteen Christians. We are seeking participants who will make a serious commitment to this venture and who are in-terested in forming a creative partnership among leaders from our two communities. For further information about Forum dates and nomination procedures, please call (410-523-7227) or e-mail (Info@icjs.org) the ICJS offices.