The Jewish Christian Studies program at GU was established to teach students about Judaism and Christianity’s interconnected past, present, and future, to combat antisemitism, and to promote dialogue and reconciliation between Jewish and Christian communities. In addition to relevant course work, we offer many co-curricular opportunities for students to mature in their faith through learning about and encountering others and through engaging questions of significance. Over the last few years, we have invested intentionally in this program and have seen impressive results in the maturity of the participating students, their leadership skills, committed faith, sense of vocation, and rich theological reflection. We have also developed a wonderful relationship with the Jewish community in St. Louis and are able to collaborate meaningfully with a number of partners there.
For the 2024-25 school year, we would like to share what has worked for us and address questions that have arisen in response to the Israel/Gaza war. Funding is available for 2 delegates from each school to serve as Fellows for the year. This cohort will meet virtually 6 times in the coming year, together with selected Jewish leaders, to learn about and discuss Jewish-Christian relations. The hope is that this Fellowship will provide participants with the confidence to engage difficult topics and inspire them to pursue relevant educational programming on their campuses.
Delegates should be nominated by each school’s Chief Academic Officer and may be faculty or staff in a relevant role (such as Chaplain or Diversity staff). Other participants are welcome in addition to the funded Fellows and should submit a letter of interest. For the nominated Fellows, we will offer a small stipend for attendance and participation, as well as a micro-grant to pursue a relevant project on their campus. This Fellowship and micro-grant will provide motivation, inspiration, and resources for the delegates to develop their own educational programming around Jewish-Christian relations.
To kick off the fellowship, we are hosting a conference at Greenville University, September 26-28, on the topic of Jewish-Christian relations. This conference is open to all AFMEI schools, including presidents, board members, administrators, faculty, and student delegates. The conference speakers will be drawn from Jewish communities near each AFMEI school. This will ensure that everyone has the opportunity to connect with a committed partner from their local Jewish community for ongoing projects.
Fellowship Budget:
$600 for each Fellow ($100 for each virtual meeting)
$700 travel and housing stipend for conference
$1000 micro grant for each campus
Application Process:
For the Fellowship, please submit a letter of interest, indicating your current role and a description of your interest in Jewish-Christian relations and potential applications within your sphere of influence. Along with this, please submit a nomination letter from your Chief Academic Officer, indicating their support of your participation, including your suitability for the fellowship given your role on campus, available time and resources, and your ability to collaborate productively across lines of difference. They should also indicate their willingness to support you as you devise and implement a relevant project on your campus.
These documents should be sent to Jewish-Christian.Studies@greenville.edu by August 15th.
For questions about the fellowship, please contact: Jewish-Christian.Studies@greenville.edu
