Rabbis from all streams to convene

JERUSALEM, April 10 (JTA) — Rabbis from all streams of Judaism are expected to attend the Shalom Hartman Institute’s 11th annual Rabbinic Torah Study Seminar, to be held in Israel from June 30 to July 10. This year’s study themes are “The Attitude of Judaism Towards Christianity and Islam” and “Interpersonal Dynamics in the Judaic Tradition.” The seminars’ ongoing goal — to enable rabbis from different denominations and outlooks to jointly study texts and to learn from one another — is particularly timely this year, according to the organizers. “One of the greatest problems we face in contemporary Judaism is a polarization of sides and a rejection of those with different ideas,” said Robert Binder, director of leadership education at Hartman. The seminar, Binder said, “offers the opportunity for rabbis of all backgrounds to study together, to discuss, learn, argue and further our involvement in contemporary Jewish issues that effect everyone in the community.”