LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new partnership
between Loyola Marymount University
(LMU) and the Academy for Jewish Religion California (AJRCA) will
bring scholars from both faith traditions together in the same
location, opening the door to inter-religious dialogue,
collaborative teaching and learning opportunities, and interfaith
community-building initiatives.
AJRCA, a transdenominational graduate seminary dedicated to the
training of rabbis, cantors, chaplains, and other Jewish community
leaders through its Masters of Jewish Studies program, has moved to
LMU's Westchester campus. The
Academy will be located at University Hall.
While grounded in different faith traditions, the two
institutions share common goals, including strong commitments to
social justice and interfaith dialogue, which are key parts of each
organization's mission and values.
"LMU, in concert with other Jesuit universities, has identified
interfaith work as a priority and an area of growth," said
John Sebastian, LMU's vice president
for Mission and Ministry. "It is a point of pride for our
university to answer the call to engage with believers of all faith
traditions. This isn't something we're doing just because it's a
good thing to do. This is really about who we are, and it's an
expression of LMU's Catholic identity, which calls us to dialogue
with people of all faith traditions and worldviews."
"What's exceptionally important about this relationship is that
our schools are maintaining their individual autonomy while
creating a new vision of Jewish and Christian relations," said
AJRCA President Rabbi Mel Gottlieb,
Ph.D. "By partnering, we are strengthening the voice of religion
and increasing spiritual sensitivity through exploring our values
and traditions, in service of creating a better world."
LMU Provost Thomas Poon said the university is in the unique
position to deeply imagine a growing academic relationship with
AJRCA, given that it is situated within the country's largest
Catholic archdiocese, and in a city with one of the largest Jewish
populations in the U.S. LMU and AJRCA students who take classes or
global immersion trips together will be more enriched because of
their exposure to different faith traditions.
"We have so much in common," Poon said of LMU and AJRCA. "We
both have a mission to educate. It's not just a textbook education;
it's the education of the whole person."
"I'm excited by this new chapter in Interfaith relations between
our two schools," said AJRCA Board Chair Marlene Canter, who has been a longtime advocate
of building interfaith bridges. "With this new alliance, we have a
chance to model how to engage in interfaith dialogue and advance
religious understanding in a rigorous academic setting."
In the first step of what is envisioned as a multi-phase
partnership, LMU and AJRCA leaders are building relationships,
offering co-sponsored programming, building community among our
students and faculties, inviting guest speakers/teachers into each
other's classes, imagining teaching collaborations, and identifying
synergies that could lead to students taking courses across the two
institutions for credit in their own programs.
AJRCA moves to its new offices in the coming weeks. An
interfaith worship service and welcoming ceremony will be planned
when it is safe for us to do so.
ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
UNIVERSITY
Loyola Marymount
University is an elite top-ranked national university by
U.S. News and World Report, which places LMU among the top five
Jesuit universities in the country and in the top six private
universities in California.
Founded in 1911, LMU is a Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount university with more than 6,500
undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate and law
students. LMU offers 60 undergraduate majors and 56 minor programs,
along with 49 master's degree programs, three doctorate programs
and 14 credential/authorization programs. LMU's intercollegiate
athletics teams compete in the West Coast Conference with 20
Division I and varsity sports.
LMU news and events are found
at: https://www.lmu.edu/news.
About the Academy for Jewish Religion California
For
more than 20 years, the Academy for Jewish Religion California
(AJRCA) has been dedicated to the training of rabbis, cantors,
chaplains, and other Jewish community leaders in a supportive
transdenominational environment. Its mission is to develop
religious leaders, steeped in Torah wisdom and tradition, capable
of transforming today's Jewish communities into places where all
Jews can grow toward spiritual wholeness and well-being. For more
information, visit https://ajrca.edu/.
For more information, please contact:
LMU: Mason Stockstill,
mason.stockstill@lmu.edu, 310.338.5133
AJRCA: Andrew Schulman,
aschulman@ajrca.edu, 646-295-4935
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lmu-and-academy-for-jewish-religion-california-launch-partnership-to-develop-academic-and-interfaith-initiatives-301415524.html
SOURCE Loyola Marymount
University
