Dr. Burton Visotsky To Speak 3/15

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: February 9, 2009

Temple Beth Rishon presents:

A Distinguished Speaker Series featuring Dr. Burton Visotzky

On Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 10:00 AM, Temple Beth Rishon will be hosting A Distinguished Speaker Series featuring Dr. Burton Visotzky, Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City.

Speaking on the topic, Engaging the Others: Judaism Faces Christianity and Islam in the 21st Century, Dr. Visotzky will give us a first person account of his involvement in the growth of Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Muslim dialogue locally, nationally, and internationally.

Dr. Visotzky will report on “dialogue visits” of various Muslim and Arab leaders to the Jewish Theological Seminary, as well as his own travels to meet with Arab and Muslim leaders in Washington, Cairo, Doha, and Madrid during the past five years.

Dr. Visotzky will summarize the state of Jewish and Christian dialogue 40 years after Vatican Two, and how it has changed in light of the emergent Muslim dialogue with both Judaism & Christianity.

Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Visotzky has served as a Dean of the JTS Graduate School and as the Director of the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies at JTS. He has also been a visiting scholar at Oxford University, visiting faculty member at, among others, Union Theological Seminary, Princeton University, and the Russian State University of the Humanities in Moscow. His study groups and books have been hailed on radio, television and in print.

This event is sponsored by the Fred Emert Memorial Adult Education Fund. The program will take place at Temple Beth Rishon, 585 Russell Ave., Wyckoff, NJ 07481. Breakfast will be served promptly at 10:00 am, followed by Dr. Visotzky’s presentation. Q & A will follow the presentation. The cost for Temple Members $10; Non-Members: $15. Please RSVP to the Temple Beth Rishon Office by March 12, 2009 at (201) 891 – 4466.