Bridging the Generations
January 28 - March 11, 2003
Sponsored by gifts from the Baltimore Equitable Insurance Foundation and The William G. Baker, Jr. Fund of the Balti-more Community Foundation.
The 2003 High School Genesis program, Bridging the Genera-tions: Words into Action, partnered the ICJS staff and scholars with spark: Partnership for Service, an organization committed to increasing Jewish community volunteerism as an important expression of being Jewish. The program provided Christian, Judaic, and Islamic text study related to the care of the el-derly. A service component gave participating students an opportunity to engage in weekly conversations with residents of Keswick Multi-Care Facility in Roland Park. The project involved forty-five students from fourteen Baltimore public and private schools. Topics included encountering the stranger, taking risks, overcoming fears, embracing the other, obliga-tions to the elderly, and grief and loss. Participating student responses were thoughtful and enthusiastic:

"Bridging the Generations" opens your eyes to the many mutual benefits of making strong connections with elderly people.

It was really exciting for me because I learned so much more about myself . . . and how others can have an impact on me.

The knowledge gained through faith sharing with another person is and should be welcomed. It helps you grow in your own faith.

The ICJS scholars and staff plan to continue the program next year. For information on enrollment and scheduling for students and facilitators, please contact Laura Riger at 410-523-7227.

The Winter Public Lecture with Thomas Cahill
March 6, 2003
Sponsored by gifts from Chizuk Amuno Congregation, Bernard Manekin, the Pearlstone Family Fund, George and Nancy Roche, the Ben and Esther Rosenbloom Foundation, and The Ivy Bookshop.
Over five hundred Christians and Jews attended this year's ICJS public lecture featuring award-winning author Thomas Cahill. Mr. Cahill is best known for his "Hinges of History" series, including three best-sellers, How the Irish Saved Civilization, The Gifts of the Jews, and Desire of the Ever-lasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus. Early in his lecture Cahill unpacked his message in what he referred to as the "somewhat stark and unmannered" tradition of the Jewish prophets. He stressed the need for Christians and Jews to embrace their shared tradition of prayer and action in a world where most of the resources benefit a privileged few. Indeed, he pointed out that our inability to share our wealth with the world's poor is something of a betrayal of our Christian and Jewish heritage. While Mr. Cahill's worldview did not necessar-ily reflect the opinions of the lecturer's large and diverse audience, his argument did not fail to leave an impression.

Christian & Jewish Educators Study Group
November 13, 2002 and
March 27, 2003
Hosted by Beth Israel Congregation with generous assistance from Rabbi Jay Goldstein and Rachel Glaser.
For the past six years, the ICJS scholars, led by Dr. Rosann Catalano, have hosted an inquisitive and lively group of Chris-tian and Jewish educators for text study and discussion. The first session of this academic year focused on the relationship between prayer and God and between prayer and community. The March discussion examined the figure of Abraham as he is portrayed and understood in the Jewish and Christian tradi-tions. The educators, who come from a wide range of educational institutions and religious backgrounds, are noted for their keen interest in thorny theological issues. They often serve as a sounding board for topics that the ICJS scholars introduce later in the year.

The 2003 Congregational Project
January 8, 15 and 22,
and May 14, 2003
Hosted by the United Methodist Church and Dr. Emora Brannan.
Guided by the ICJS scholars, over one hundred congregants from thirty-one congregations explored the distinctive charac-ter of prayer within the Jewish and Christian traditions and the role that prayer plays in the formation of these communities. Among the many issues discussed were the different concep-tions of God that are presupposed in the activity of prayer, the religious or spiritual disciplines that make the encounter with the divine more than an empty abstraction, and the challenges that arise when Christians and Jews try to pray together.