Jewish scholar to speak Oct. 24 on God and religious diversity

Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, president’s scholar and national director of recruitment and admissions at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, will present “The Oneness of God and the Diversity of Religions: A Jewish Perspective” at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, in the Centenary Room (room 264), Quadrangle Building, Saint John's University.  

The lecture, sponsored by the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning, is free and open to the public. 

“Deeply committed to the affirmation of God’s oneness, many Jews also share the belief of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) that diversity of religions is the will of God,” said Sabath Beit-Halachmi. In this lecture, she will explain why she considers this belief not only compatible with the affirmation of God’s oneness but also demanded by it.

Before assuming her current positions at Hebrew Union College, Sabath Beit-Halachmi taught at HUC’s Jerusalem campus. She also served as vice president and a faculty member of the Shalom Hartman Institute, also in Jerusalem, and directed the Hartman programs for lay leadership, rabbinic leadership and Christian leadership.

Sabath Beit-Halachmi earned a doctoral degree in philosophy from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York and is the co-author of two books, “Striving toward Virtue: A Contemporary Guide to Jewish Ethical Behavior” and “Preparing Your Heart for the High Holy Days.” She has written numerous published articles, writes a monthly column in the Jerusalem Post and lectures throughout North America on theology, gender and leadership.                               

This lecture is the final one in the three-semester series “The Oneness of God and the Diversity of Religions,” which previously featured lectures by Hindu, Sikh, Christian and Muslim scholars.