On September 29, 2022, writer and human rights activist Simran Jeet Singh, MTS '08, discussed his new book, The Light We Give, and his ongoing work as a public scholar and educator on Sikhism and religious pluralism. Other event participants discussed the intersections between Singh’s work, public understanding about Sikhism, and Religion and Public Life approaches to teaching and learning about religion. This discussion focused on educators working with students from 7th grade through college.... Read more about Video: Teaching and Learning about Sikhism with Simran Jeet Singh: A Lunchtime Conversation for Educators

What’s the recipe for nuanced attention to complex issues like Israel/Palestine? For two Harvard Divinity School students (one who graduated last spring), it’s a strategy of consistent content on a newly launched TikTok account that surpassed half a million views in its first two weeks.

“How can we make it so that when people hear ‘Palestine’ they know, yes, tragic things are happening but there’s also so much joy in this community?” asks Ciara Moezidis, master of theological studies (MTS) ‘24 and Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy student. “Hospitality, generosity, care for one another and for those who visit [Palestine]… it’s hard to even grasp. We’re trying to capture that disorientation of joy and tragedy of what it’s like to visit and what it’s like to be Palestinian.”... Read more about Two Gals in Pal: Leveraging TikTok to Bring Stories from Palestine to Americans

Join faculty and staff from Religion and Public Life's Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative to learn about our immersive course on the case study of Israel/Palestine. The program is hosting three info sessions on Tues, Sept 13th, Mon, Sept 19th and Fri, Sept 23. 

This interdisciplinary course is open to all Harvard graduate students and capped at 16 participants. Students will take required pre-travel coursework, travel to the region during the J-Term (January 3-17th, 2023) and return for a semester-long course, "Learning in Context: Narratives of Displacement and Belonging in Israel/Palestine (HDS 3335). There is required pre-travel coursework in the fall. This course is required to be eligible for paid summer 2023 internships in the region.... Read more about Learning in Context: Narratives of Displacement and Belonging in Israel/Palestine

In conversation with Daniel Boyarin, Rabbi Brant Rosen interrogated the ways that Zionist hegemony is expressed through the Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) that has become a staple on the American Jewish holiday calendar, projecting themes of militarism, colonialism, and empire on to sacred religious tradition. He also presented an alternative framing of this day as a religious observance – one that expresses remembrance, repentance, and reparations. Presenters: Brant Rosen: Topol Fellow at RCPI; Rabbi, Tzedek Chicago In conversation with: Prof. Daniel Boyarin: Caroline Zelaznik Gruss and Joseph S. Gruss Visiting Professor in Talmudic Civil Law at Harvard Law School (2021-2022) Moderator: Atalia Omer: Professor of Religion, Conflict, and Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at University of Notre Dame and T. J. Dermot Dunphy Visiting Professor of Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding and Senior Fellow in Conflict and Peace at Harvard Divinity School.... Read more about Video: Yom Ha’atzmaut and the Colonization of American Judaism