Crossroads

Tomorrow I fly from Boston to New York to Paris to Tel Aviv in Israel — to begin the next chapter (and extraordinary opportunity) of my life. Through a miracle of serendipity (thank you, Mary Hunt!), I am blessed to spend 7 months just outside of Jerusalem at Tantur Ecumenical Institute, an interfaith retreat center run by Notre Dame University.

Tantur was founded in 1972, the vision of Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, legendary president of Notre Dame University from 1952 to 1987. He died in 2015 at age 98, but his spirit still animates Tantur and many other aspects of Notre Dame University.

I’ll do my best to contribute to program development, grant writing, fundraising strategy, and anything else that needs doing in support of the mission of Tantur. Check out their website for a more detailed look at the many activities that support Taunter’s mission — http://tantur.org

Thanks to Mary Hunt, I stumbled upon Volunteers in Global Service (VGS), a new NGO that aims to place retired professionals in interfaith or peace & justice non-profits all around the world, matching the skills of retirees to the needs of the organizations. I am honored to join VGS’ mission. May I live up to the trust they have placed in me!

I’ll be reflecting on my experiences during the course of my time at Tantur, and hope you, my readers, are interested enough in my thoughts to come regularly and comment when the spirit moves you to do so.  I’ll also be continuing my monthly column at the Barnstable Patriot, the weekly newspaper that serves my town. While in Israel, my column there will be known as “Crossroads” for indeed, Israel is at the crossroad of culture and religion, a crossroad between conflict and peace, a crossroad the whole world watches with both hope and anxiety.

Like so many, I pray every day for peace in this land that has seen centuries, millennia of conflict. I don’t have any answers, just many questions, but of one thing I am certain: if ever peace is achieved in this land, interfaith engagement will have to be at the center of the picture. That’s why I am so grateful to be in a place that supports interfaith dialogue.

It’s the dawn of a new day for me. I would be so pleased if you would share the journey with me by stopping by this blog from time to time, and adding your own thoughts.

Pax, Shalom, Salam…

Author: kathleenschatzberg

I'm a writer, an educator -- 45 years in education, 35 of them in community colleges -- and a lifelong advocate for justice (community colleges are, in fact, instruments of social justice). I have always been passionate about learning, traveling, and understanding the world's religions and political systems. This "Crossroads" blog offers my reflections on living for 7 months as a volunteer at Tantur Ecumenical Institute. On a hill in Jerusalem, within sight of Bethlehem, Tantur hosts students, scholars, and seeker for interfaith engagement and theological and biblical study. View all posts by kathleenschatzberg