News Highlights Welcome: International Conference of Christians and Jews

On behalf of the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership and the entire Hebrew College community, welcome to the 2023 ICCJ Boston conference! You honor us with your presence.

In a world struggling mightily with conflict and bloodshed, a gathering such as this to explore our similarities and differences — religious, racial, geographical, and other — with care and consideration is urgently needed.

Further, after the great upheaval caused by the COVID pandemic in recent years, we feel especially grateful to be able to convene in- person for substantive deliberation and fellowship.

Gathering in Boston, a vibrant cosmopolitan hub with a rich interreligious landscape, allows us to explore the conference theme of  “Negotiating Multiple Identities” through a range of modalities, including encounters with leading-edge intellectuals, activists, and artists from throughout the region.

Equally important is the opportunity to learn with and from people from other locations about their experiences of identity formation in their distinct settings.

As Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, the scholar who coined the term “intersectionality” has taught us, in considering issues of power, privilege, inclusivity, and justice, we must pay careful attention to the specific ways in which individuals and groups view themselves and are viewed by others.

I want to thank my colleagues from Boston College, the ICCJ, and all other members of the planning committee. It has been deeply enriching working with you in developing this timely and potentially transformative international gathering.

Again, thank you for joining us and contributing to the creation of a meaningful conference experience!

Rabbi Or Rose is the founding director of Hebrew College’s Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership in Newton, MA and co-chair of the 2023 International Conference of Christians and Jews.