Three Twin Cities congregations – representing the Islamic, Christian and Jewish faiths – are sponsoring a series of four mid-November programs dealing with peacemaking. The programs will be led by Rabbi Amy Eilberg and will be based on her recently published book From Enemy to Friend: Jewish Wisdom and the Pursuit of Peace.
Rabbi Amy Eilberg
Sponsors of the series are the Islamic Center of Minnesota, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church and Mount Zion Temple. Co-sponsors are the St. Paul Interfaith Network and Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning, a partnership of the University of St. Thomas and St. John’s University. This marks the fifth year this group has joined to sponsor collaborative programs.
The four programs planned for November are free and open to the public. Titles, dates and locations are:
- “The Nature of Conflict and Vengeance: Why do we Fight” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at Mount Zion Temple, 1300 Summit Ave., St. Paul. Eilberg will speak during Shabbat services at about 8 p.m. and at a question-and-answer session following services.
- “The Practice of Peace: Training the Heart and Mind for Peace” from 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at Mount Zion Temple, 1300 Summit Ave., St. Paul.
- “Seek Peace and Pursue It” on Sunday, Nov. 16, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 700 Snelling Ave. S., St. Paul. Eilberg will speak during the 8:15 and 10:45 a.m. services and will lead a question-and-answer session from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
- “Peace Among Religions” at 1:45 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, at the Islamic Center of Minnesota, 1401 Gardenia Ave. NE, Fridley.
Eilberg is the first woman ordained as a Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. After many years of work in pastoral care and hospice, she now serves as a spiritual director, directs interfaith programs, teaches at United Theological Seminary and is a consultant to the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning. Co-chair of the Civility Initiative of the Jewish Council on Public Affairs, she teaches the art of listening and peacebuilding throughout the country.
In From Enemy to Friend, she blends ancient Jewish sacred texts on peacebuilding, real-life descriptions of conflict engagement and conflict theory. What emerges is a portrait of peacemaking as a spiritual practice that can guide people seeking peace in their lives and in the world. The book concludes with practical disciplines to cultivate the qualities essential to the art of pursuing peace.
