New TAU-Cambridge Project Has Faith

In recent years it has become increasingly clear that tensions between religions, or religious groups, pose some of the greatest challenges facing humanity in the 21^st century. Two major centers of such tension are the Middle East and Europe, where education in Judaism, Christianity and Islam is regrettably inadequate. Ignorance about religion breeds fear, which in turn leads to the kind of stereotyping and dehumanization that are responsible for much of the violence, social unrest, prejudice, and deep divisions in today's societies.

TAU has now joined forces with the University of Cambridge in a new initiative to advance mutual understanding between the three monotheistic faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Working in close cooperation with the Cambridge University Project for Religions in the Humanities, the new Center for Religious and Inter-Religious Studies at Tel Aviv University will be dedicated to research, teaching and outreach.

Prof. Menachem Fisch, TAU head of the project and recipient of the Joseph and Ceil Mazer Chair for History and Philosophy of Science, explained the motivation behind the initiative: “Cambridge University has 800 years of experience in researching Christianity. Nonetheless, they won’t attain the level of research of Judaism that we have here. You can’t properly research any juncture in Christianity without accounting for how Judaism responds to it. Judaism developed over the course of generations in response to other religions.”

At the Center, a group of world-class scholars will study the three monotheistic religions comprehensively and will collaborate with similar Christian, Muslim and Jewish academic initiatives around the world. Activities will be grounded in today's cultural and political realities and will include outreach to religious leaders in the Middle East.

During a recent international conference at TAU called The Word and the Sword: Three Perspectives on Religion and Violence, Prof. David Ford, Director of the project in Cambridge and Regius Professor of Divinity, spoke of the importance of the initiative in strengthening religious studies and providing opportunities to “engage in a full range of questions. So many problems in the world arise from misunderstanding.”

This lecture is the first in a series of joint conferences, seminars and exchange programs between faculty and students. The initiative's inaugural conference, "With God on our Side," will take place in Tel Aviv in late 2012 and will explore the role of religious claims in the conflict.

The Center at TAU collaborates with an international board of governors comprised of leaders from the private sector and academia. The Cambridge side is chaired by Prof. Simon Goldhill.