2008 Woodie Awards
Breaking down barriers at the round-table discussion
Samantha Ginsburg
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: News
Our own Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding (IJCU) of the College hosted a panel discussion in Seegers Union this past Saturday. As a Lutheran-affiliated school, we are linked together along with 26 other colleges to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Members of the organization were invited to speak this weekend. The issue at hand was a reconfirmation of a document to commit to a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the support of the slogan taken up of Peace Not Walls.
The event was put together in response to concerns voiced by college officials that the religious representative of the College, the ELCA, was taking a strong side in an issue which is certainly not black and white.
The ELCA's slogan was put together with a picture of the separation barrier in Israel, indicating that the only object standing in the way of peace was the wall; this image has now been reformed to include images representative of walls of hate, terrorism, and others which stand in the way of peace.
The multiple metaphorical walls, as was explained on Sat., became the new slogan of the ELCA, because they wanted to convey that there is not just one barrier standing in the way of peace, but many.
A forerunner for clarification at the meeting was the concept of open communication between all related parties of interest. Israeli-Palestinian topics are an incredibly hot-button issue, and College representatives contended that it is important for the religious contingency of the College to retain an open track record.
With the introduction by Reverend Peter Pettit, each panelist spoke about his or her own connection to the college. Four representatives of the ELCA, Carol LaHurd, Dennis Frado, Eric Shafer, and Bruce Maclaughlin were present at the table, as well as local Episcopal priest Maria Tjeltveit, and Marjorie Hass, the College Provost.
Following the personals, the speakers talked about the opposing biases prominent in their personal environments, whether it is religious leader or college professor. The ELCA representatives that were present spoke about the necessity of a broader understanding and with that, a kind of explanation and apology for the previous miscommunication.
The round-table discussion was put together with the intention of assuring the College that the ELCA would retain good judgment, keep an open mind, and a broad prospective.
As Marjorie Hass explained, it is a goal of the College to have a relationship with the Lutheran church that along with any relationship holds open communication as the ultimate goal.
Members of the organization were invited to speak this weekend. The issue at hand was a reconfirmation of a document to commit to a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the support of the slogan taken up of Peace Not Walls.
The event was put together in response to concerns voiced by college officials that the religious representative of the College, the ELCA, was taking a strong side in an issue which is certainly not black and white.
The ELCA's slogan was put together with a picture of the separation barrier in Israel, indicating that the only object standing in the way of peace was the wall; this image has now been reformed to include images representative of walls of hate, terrorism, and others which stand in the way of peace.
The multiple metaphorical walls, as was explained on Sat., became the new slogan of the ELCA, because they wanted to convey that there is not just one barrier standing in the way of peace, but many.
A forerunner for clarification at the meeting was the concept of open communication between all related parties of interest. Israeli-Palestinian topics are an incredibly hot-button issue, and College representatives contended that it is important for the religious contingency of the College to retain an open track record.
With the introduction by Reverend Peter Pettit, each panelist spoke about his or her own connection to the college. Four representatives of the ELCA, Carol LaHurd, Dennis Frado, Eric Shafer, and Bruce Maclaughlin were present at the table, as well as local Episcopal priest Maria Tjeltveit, and Marjorie Hass, the College Provost.
Following the personals, the speakers talked about the opposing biases prominent in their personal environments, whether it is religious leader or college professor. The ELCA representatives that were present spoke about the necessity of a broader understanding and with that, a kind of explanation and apology for the previous miscommunication.
The round-table discussion was put together with the intention of assuring the College that the ELCA would retain good judgment, keep an open mind, and a broad prospective.
As Marjorie Hass explained, it is a goal of the College to have a relationship with the Lutheran church that along with any relationship holds open communication as the ultimate goal.