Program Update: The rabbinic students and Christian seminarians in the 2010 cohort are completing their pre-trip dialogue sessions and will be traveling to Israel and the West Bank from June 6-15, 2010. If you'd like to receive an application for the 2011 cohort, please e-mail jbaird@auburnseminary.org.

The Christian-Jewish Seminarian Program on Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is a joint project of the American Jewish Committee (New York Chapter) and Auburn Theological Seminary

Too often, interfaith dialogue and work in America avoids discussion of Israel, largely because the topic of Israel and Palestine causes rifts in delicate group dynamics that are very difficult to bridge.  The Protestant-Jewish Seminarian Program on Israel and Palestine, launched in 2008, brings together rabbinic students and Christian seminarians to learn about each other's communal, political, and theological perspectives on Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and the regional conflict.  This program gives future Jewish and Christian clergy the skills, knowledge and relationships they need in order to lead their communities toward constructive dialogue and peaceful work in an interfaith setting, even with regard to challenging topics like Israel and Palestine.  The program is designed to foster long-lasting relationships among the participants and provides deep learning through which participants begin to experience the region and its complexities through each others' eyes. Participating student clergy engage each other through a series of learning and dialogue sessions and then travel to Israel and the West Bank on a 10 day travel study program.

Background
In 2005, following the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s activities toward divestment from Israel, a group of 50 Presbyterian and Jewish leaders began a dialogue sponsored by the American Jewish Committee (New York Chapter) and Auburn Theological Seminary.  In addition to regular meetings in New York, the group travelled together to Israel and the Palestinian Territories.  Inspired by the relationships that were formed through study and travel, the group decided to launch a program for Christian and Jewish seminarians to have a forum to learn about each others' approaches to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The program is managed in partnership between Auburn Seminary and the American Jewish Committee (New York Chapter).