Two significant interfaith events co-organized by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement are taking place in Manhattan on October 19 and 20, respectively, each addressing the urgent need for dialogue and understanding across religious boundaries in our fractured world.
Conflict and the Healing of Hatred
On Sunday, October 19, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine will host a conversation about peacemaking in one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. Dean Winnie Varghese will join Hana Bendcowsky and John Munayer, both program staff from Jerusalem’s Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue, to discuss their trauma-informed approach to healing deep-seated divisions.
Bendcowsky serves as program director of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, while Munayer, a Palestinian Christian, holds a Master’s in Interreligious Studies from VU Amsterdam. Together, they bring firsthand experience of working in a context where years of violence have left both Israelis and Palestinians emotionally and spiritually scarred, with hatred of the “Other” often viewed as a normal response to ongoing trauma.
The Rossing Center has developed a unique methodology that addresses conflict at its deepest level, using tools from spiritual counseling to break cycles of resentment and violence. The evening’s discussion will explore how peace education has made a tangible difference in the Israeli-Palestinian context and what lessons this model might offer for the increasingly polarized environment in the United States. The event is co-sponsored by the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, the Community at the Crossing, and the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue.
The Faith of Others
The following evening, Monday, October 20, Fordham University at Lincoln Center presents the 2025 Paul Wattson Lecture, marking the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the groundbreaking Vatican II declaration that transformed Catholic relations with other faiths, particularly Judaism.
Professor Susannah Heschel of Dartmouth College will deliver the lecture, drawing on both scholarly expertise and personal memory. The daughter of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, she grew up witnessing crucial ecumenical conversations in her family home. Her lecture will examine the theological trajectory leading to Nostra Aetate, with particular focus on the relationship between her father and Cardinal Augustin Bea.
Heschel, the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies, brings distinguished credentials to this reflection, including a National Jewish Book Award and five honorary doctorates. Her scholarship encompasses Jewish and Protestant thought, biblical scholarship, and the history of antisemitism.
Heather Miller Rubens, Executive Director of the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, will respond to Professor Heschel’s lecture. Rubens will consider Nostra Aetate’s continuing relevance and limitations today, extending the conversation beyond Catholic-Jewish relations to include contemporary Islam.
Both events are free and open to the public. Registration is recommended.
The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, through their Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, are co-organizers of both events.