“Upholding Human Dignity in Turbulent Times: An Interreligious Convening”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 12, 2025
CONTACT: publicity@jtsa.edu
The Jewish Theological Seminary will host a two-day convening featuring a diverse group of speakers.
November 12, 2025 — New York, NY — The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), one of the world’s preeminent centers of Jewish higher education, is hosting a two-day convening focused on “Upholding Human Dignity” on Monday, November 17 and Tuesday, November 18. This is JTS’s fourth convening in the past two years.
This timely event provides an opportunity for meaningful exploration, dialogue, and collaboration. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware will deliver the keynote address entitled Fostering a Just Democracy Through Belief and Interreligious Engagement, with an introduction by Rabbi Jack Moline. This session will be livestreamed and can be viewed www.jtsa.edu/live.
One cannot open any newspaper, scroll a social media feed, or watch broadcast news from any source today without seeing how political rivalries and military conflicts cause unnecessary suffering and degradation to innocent people. But surely a call to uphold the dignity and well-being of human beings should be a baseline alarm heard from religious leaders, be they conservative or liberal.
“Because the rights and dignity of all human beings are core principles of Jewish theology and ethics, it felt imperative for JTS to explore this topic,” said Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary. “Our nonpartisan and interreligious convening will help affirm and defend the many forms of human dignity that are currently threatened.”
“The goal of convening thinkers and activists across political and religious lines is to foster dialogue and develop a shared voice for human rights rooted in religious faith” said Rabbi Gordon Tucker, JTS Vice Chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement. “We will draw on the concept of kevod habriyot—the inherent nobility of all human beings—as a guiding principle in Jewish theology. And we welcome our interreligious partners to bring forward similar teachings and practices from their own traditions that affirm human worth and collective responsibility.”
Panels will cover a range of topics, from the devastating consequences of war, the necessities of health care, the challenges of migrations, the realities of hunger, and the effects of technological advances on humanness itself. Participants’ religious associations include Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists.
The Henry N. and Selma S. Rapaport Memorial Lecture will take place on Monday, November 17 at 6:00 P.M. and will feature special guest, Bill McKibben, the founder of Third Act. He will be speaking about climate change, emerging technology, and other threats to human well-being. This session will be available via livestream.
A special part of both days includes interactive workshop sessions that are designed for learning, conversation, and shared action.
The conference is open to the public, and individuals from all backgrounds are encouraged to attend. For the full schedule and to register, please visit: https://www.jtsa.edu/event/upholding-human-dignity/
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About The Jewish Theological Seminary
JTS is a preeminent institution of Jewish higher education, training thoughtful, innovative leaders—rabbis, cantors, educators, lay leaders, and scholars—who strengthen our communities with a vision of Judaism that is deeply grounded in the Jewish past and thoroughly engaged with contemporary society. JTS also provides high-caliber, lifelong learning and professional development to our alumni, adult learners, and Jewish communities throughout North America. Through its Library, JTS preserves and makes accessible to students and scholars throughout the world the greatest collection of Judaica in the Western Hemisphere.
