Where There is a Will, There is a Way:
A Conversation on Pilgrimage and Spirituality
Pilgrimages, journeys of love, ziarah, aliyah, spiritual journeys - we have many names, various rules and different experiences with it, but there is no doubt: the phenomenon of moving our bodies towards a defined direction exists in all of our traditions. We, the Steering Committee of the International Abrahamic Forum (IAF), started from this point of shared common ground in order to fruitfully expand on differences in the practices.
The subject of pilgrimage is not only an interesting point to deal with inter-religiously, but especially in times of COVID 19. The global pandemic influences our ability to leave our homes, let alone the countries we live in. Pilgrimage however means: to leave your home (and country) to arrive at a destination in order to experience things you won`t experience by staying home. We thus feel the urgency to talk about it: not only among ourselves, but together with you!
Become part of the conversation by joining our workshop, listening to short inputs (that will be a taste of our reflection), fill the space we create for your contributions and questions and share experiences in breakout rooms arranged for small group encounters.
Join us on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 1 pm UTC
[i.e. for example Berlin: 3 pm; Buenos Aires: 10 am; Los Angeles: 6 am; New York: 9 am, Perth: 9 pm; Qom: 4:30 pm; Rabat: 2 pm; Singapore: 9 pm; Tel Aviv: 4 pm]
REGISTER HERE [Zoom registration form]
Speakers:
 | Rachel de Boor (Germany) Rachel de Boor, BA and MA in Jewish Studies and Religious Science at U. Potsdam, is Program Manager for Dialogue Perspectives: Discussing Religions and Worldviews, a project of the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk in Berlin (ELES) and coordinator of the newly established Jewish-Muslim think tank, “Karov Qareeb,” a dialogue platform for Jewish and Muslim students in Berlin. |
 | Elena Dini (Italy) Elena Dini is Senior Program Manager of the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. She holds advanced degrees in Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Communications, Catholic theology and Interfaith Dialogue, and is a Ph.D. candidate at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. |
 | Morteza Rezazadeh (Iran) A graduate of the Islamic seminaries of Qom, Imam Morteza Rezazadeh holds a PhD in comparative study of religions and mysticism from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, and an MA in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations from Hartford Seminary in the US. He teaches in the Islamic seminaries in Qom and Mashhad and is the founder and president of Hikmat International Institute. |
Facilitators:
Prof. Dr Rabbi Reuven Firestone, Hebrew Union College (USA),
Prof. Dr Heidi Hadsell, President Emeritus, Hartford Seminary (USA),
Dr Mohammad Hannan Hassan, Muis Academy (Singapore)
Moderator: Prof. Dr Heidi Hadsell
Host and Contact: Anette Adelmann, ICCJ General Secretary, adelmann@iccj.org