Employing the main function of the iPod — listening — Jewish and Catholic students discussed their respective religions at part two of the iFaith discussion at the Student Activities Center on the College Avenue Campus Tuesday night.
Co-sponsored by Rutgers Hillel, the Catholic Center and the Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, the discussion facilitated a dialogue between Jewish and Christian students, focusing on Jewish and Christian holidays, Rutgers Hillel Rabbi Esther Reed said.
The program featured two guest speakers, Dr. David C. Kraemer, a professor from the Jewish Theological Seminary, speaking for Judaism, and Gregory Floyd, president of the Tri-County Scholarship Fund, speaking for Catholicism.
Kraemer, who has written several books, including “Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages” and “The Jewish Family: Metaphor and Memory,” called the discussion “gratifying.”
“I felt an obligation to come here for this, with my training and experience in the community,” he said.
The speakers explained their favorite holiday celebrated by their respective religions.
Kraemer centered his speech on the recent Jewish High Holy Days: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. He explained the holidays serve as a way for Jews to fight the anxiety of fall and “browning leaves” with celebration.
Floyd also spoke about his second favorite holiday, Christmas, which he criticized for growing too commercial.
“You walk down Fifth Avenue, and you find Santa Claus and the North Pole,” he said.
After the speeches, the audience was broken into groups, with student facilitators leading each group.
Kraemer and Floyd joined in on some of the group discussions.
In Floyd’s group, he explained the reason why Santa Claus wears a red coat and has a beard. In fourth century Asia Minor, bishops traditionally wore red robes and did not shave their beards, Floyd said.
After group discussion, the floor opened to audience members, who asked questions that arose from the groups.
One student asked if it was true that Hanukkah is not actually a very important holiday in Jewish tradition.
The concept of Hanukkah as a less important Jewish holiday is a recent phenomenon that has arisen as it has become more commercial, Kraemer said. Because of its commercialization, Hanukkah, which usually shares the month of December with Christmas, has been considered by many to be a less important holiday.
“Hanukkah is actually very important,” Kraemer said. “It’s just had to compete with Christmas’s commercialization.”
Floyd considered the dialogue very important, not just for students, but for everyone. Floyd said he even learned some things he didn’t know before the discussion.
“In John 8:32, I believe, it says to ‘make my word your home, so you can know truth, and it will set you free.’ So Jews and Christians both carry the traditions of home,” he said.
Students share differences, similarities of faith
Published: Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Updated: Wednesday, October 29, 2008
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