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College of Arts and Sciences

Evening of Roses Goes Virtual in 2021  

Sister Rose Thering speaks 320 picThe Sister Rose Thering Fund for Education in Jewish-Christian Studies' signature fundraiser, Evening of Roses, will be held virtually on Tuesday, June 1, at 7 p.m. The event honors those who advance Sister Rose's legacy by fostering understanding and cooperation among Jews, Christians and people of other religious traditions through advocacy and education. It was created to raise scholarship funding for teachers enrolled in Seton Hall's Jewish-Christian Studies certificate program, who have made it their mission to help develop the next generation of leaders and upstanders.

This year's keynote speaker will be Rabbi Abraham Skorka, Ph.D., co-author with Pope Francis of On Heaven and Earth, a book on interfaith dialogue. The event will also honor the extraordinary generosity of the Curt C. and Else Silberman Foundation, with gratitude to Silberman Foundation Trustees Edward Meinhardt and the late Evi Meinhardt; and Gene Hoffman, philanthropist who, at 91 years old, earned his Doctor of Science in Jewish Studies from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.

Visit the Evening of Roses website to purchase tickets by May 20, sponsorships and underwriting opportunities by May 15, and ads for the virtual ad journal by May 1. 

Rabbi Skorka

Rabbi Abraham Skorka

Rabbi Skorka is a chemist and writer. He is the rector of the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano Marshall T. Meyer which trains Masorti/Conservative rabbis, cantors and educators in the Latin American Jewish Community. In addition, he is the rabbi of the Masorti Olami Community (Worldwide Conservative Movement) Benei Tikva in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pope Francis and Rabbi Skorka's book On Heaven and Earth was published in Spanish in 2010 and in English in 2013. Rabbi Skorka also wrote the introduction to Pope Francis's official biography. In 2012, Pope Francis, who was then the Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, granted Doctor honoris causa to Rabbi Skorka on behalf of the Catholic University of Argentina. In May 2014, Rabbi Skorka accompanied the Pope as part of the Papal entourage to the Middle East. On this historic tour, one of the major highlights was their joint prayer for peace at the Western Wall, which was widely covered by world media.

meinhardts

Silberman Foundation Trustees Edward Meinhardt and the late Evi Meinhardt.

Those also slated to speak during the virtual event will include Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Seton Hall President Dr. Joseph Nyre, Seton Hall President Emeritus Monsignor Robert Sheeran, and former Sister Rose Thering Fund teacher-scholars Frank Stebbins and Kibwe Miller.

The Sister Rose Thering Fund supports students studying in the graduate program of Jewish-Christian Studies in the Department of Religion in the College of Arts and Sciences, which offers a comprehensive curriculum leading to a Master of Arts in Jewish-Christian Studies, as well as a Certificate in Jewish-Christian Studies. The Fund was established in 1993, and Thering served as its administrator until retiring in 2005. As administrator, she played an integral part in recruiting educators to take part in the program and in raising funds to defray the costs of tuition.

The goals of the Fund's programs are to reduce prejudice born of ignorance and misperception, to promote means for conveying the richness of the Jewish and Christian traditions accurately and without bias and to foster cooperation among Jews and Christians in areas of common social welfare. More than 350 teachers throughout New Jersey have benefited from Fund scholarships for their studies in Seton Hall University's Jewish-Christian Studies graduate program during the past two decades and have had an impact on more than 150,000 students in their classes.

Categories: Campus Life, Faith and Service