On Saturday, March 5, 2011 the Governor of South Australia, His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, AC CSC RANR launched the Abraham Institute at Beit Shalom Synagogue, South Australia.
The Abraham Institute will be dedicated to the crucial work of building Multifaith understanding in South Australia. It will initially run a series of interfaith and intercultural courses to educate the general community about the practices and precepts of the three Abrahamic faiths: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It will then expand the program to include courses on other world religions.
The Abraham Institute is a follow-up program from Project Abraham, a multi-faith initiative, which was developed by the Jewish Community Council of South Australia in partnership with members of the Muslim and Christian communities. The award-winning concept was supported by the Australian Government’s Living in Harmony program.
The Abraham Institute’s inaugural course is: Israel—The History, Culture and People. It commences on June 19th and is open to the general public. The first two terms will cover the early history from Biblical times to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. During the third term, students will explore contemporary issues such as the environment, immigration and refugees, and the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The course will be taught by scholars from Muslim, Jewish and Christian backgrounds, including Dr. Selan Morkoc, Burc College, Dr. Josephine Laffin, Catholic Theological College and Paul Forgasz, Monash University.
“The Jewish community in South Australia has a long history of community involvement as well as interfaith activity,” said Norman Schueler, President of the Jewish Community Council of South Australia. “We believe that initiatives such as the Abraham Institute will help foster harmonious relationships between all religions and races.”
For further information, please contact: Katherine Goode on: 0412 010 656 or email:
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