FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cindy Deppe, media relations, 641-269-4834

April 24, 2008

GRINNELL COLLEGE CONFERENCE ON SPIRITUAL RADICALISM

Conference honors theologian A.J. Heschel and religious studies professor Harold Kasimow

GRINNELL, IA--Grinnell College will host a conference on May 1 to honor the legacy of Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel, considered one of the most significant spiritual leaders of the 20th century. The conference also honors Grinnell College Professor of Religious Studies Harold Kasimow, who will retire from active teaching at the end of the academic year and who studied with Heschel at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

The one-day conference, which also commemorates the centennial of Heschel’s birth, will involve lectures from religious scholars exploring the ethical, political, and spiritual aspects of Heschel’s interfaith beliefs and theology. Speakers include:

May 1, 11 a.m.: Byron Sherwin, distinguished professor of Jewish philosophy and mysticism at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, will discuss "How Finding the Right Mentor Can Change Your Life: A Personal Look at Heschel." Sherwin became a protégé of Heschel while a student at Jewish Theological Seminary.

May 1, 4:15 p.m.: Heschel biographer Edward Kaplan will discuss "Spirituality and Political Action: The Life and Writings of Heschel." Kaplan is the Kevy and Hortense Kaiserman professor in the Humanities at Brandeis University.

May 1, 8 p.m.: John Merkle, professor of theology at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, will present "The Moral Core of Religious Experience in the Thought of Heschel." Merkle, who has written two books on Heschel, is past chair of a national organization of Catholic and Protestant scholars engaged in the study of Judaism.

Each of the conference speakers is a scholarly colleague of Kasimow, who has taught at Grinnell since 1972. Kasimow’s own research has focused on Heschel and on interfaith relations between Jews and members of other religious traditions. His book, "John Paul II and Interreligious Dialogue," was co-edited with conference speaker Byron Sherwin. Kasimow, who currently holds the George A. Drake Professorship in Religious Studies at Grinnell, will be named professor emeritus at the college’s commencement on May 19.

All conference events, which are free and open to the public, will be held at the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center located at 1115 8th Ave. on the Grinnell College campus. The conference is co-sponsored by the Grinnell College Diversity Steering Committee, the Center for the Humanities, the Center for International Studies, the Lilly Foundation, the Peace Studies Program, the Department of Religious Studies, and the Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs.

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