Elijah Interfaith Institute Following the horrific events in Israel

12/10/2023 | Na stronie od 12/10/2023

Update regarding Thursday's webinar and weekly prayer meeting

Following the horrific events in Israel and the ongoing concern for human life, safety and peace, we are revisioning the planned webinar we had announced for this coming Thursday.

As Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, board member of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders, has suggested to us, the key spiritual, religious and moral issue at this time is the value of human life and of the human person. Even before the many ideals that we uphold and to which we aspire (peace, love, justice and more) comes the fundamental appreciation, respect and valuing of human life. What we have witnessed is the (religiously based) lack of respect for human life. What we need to recall and what we need to pray for is the value, sanctity and dignity of life. In that spirit, we will hold weekly meetings of teaching and prayer, that will explore different dimensions of the human person and his/her potential.

Thursday's event is revised as follows:

We will consider not only the universal value of human life but the great potential of the spiritual life of humans, as manifested in great saints and religious geniuses.

Following that, we will hold an interfaith prayer, bearing in mind the present-day pains, the needs that are acute in different parts of the world, and the hope that saints hold for us to perfect our spiritual vision.

Please join us on Thursday. The original announcement follows:

Must Saints be Perfect - The Case of John Paul II and Polish Politics
Thursday, 12th October at 5:00 pm Jerusalem time

Elijah has worked extensively on saints and religious geniuses. One of the challenges in thinking of saints and religious geniuses is the question of whether their image must be perfect and can it be flawed, and if so how much taint can a saint support.

Recently, this has become a subject of major debate in the Catholic Church and especially with reference to Saint John Paul II. Was he, or was he not, involved in covering up for pedophile priests? Should it, or should it not, affect his image? What is the significance of this debate in contemporary Polish society? How will this impact the upcoming elections (less than two weeks from now)? How does this relate to religious genius theory?

Friends Across Faiths Initiative invites you to a conversation between

Prof. Piotr Sikora
Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein

Moderated by Peta Pellach Jones

Join us on Thursday, October 12th at 5 pm Israel time,

Pacific time: 7 am
ET time: 10 am
London time: 3 pm
Central European time: 4 pm
Jerusalem time: 5 pm
India time: 7:30 pm