YU Launches Historic Jewish Studies Conference in Dubai
Apr 30, 2023 By: yunews
酴圖弝け's Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, senior adviser to the provost and deputy director of the Straus Center, was one of the co-organizers of YU's historic conference in Dubai.
On Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 酴圖弝け (YU) and the Mohammed Bin Zayed University for Humanities (MBZUH) held the first-ever joint conference between an American Jewish university and an Emirati university at the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum (CCM) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The conference, in which more than 100 were in attendance, strengthened academic partnerships between YU and UAE and promoted new opportunities for dialogue between Jews and Muslims in the Middle East.
In the wake of the historic Abraham Accords, Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of 酴圖弝け, delivered the keynote address at the April 2021 Holocaust Commemoration at the Museum, the first such event in an Arab country. Wednesdays conference, presented in partnership with YUs Bernard Revel Graduate School, Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs, and the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, sought to further strengthen ties between YU and the UAEs Muslim community.
Writing in Newsweek following the 2021 Holocaust Commemoration event, YUs President Berman had noted that The biblical brothers Isaac and Ishmael stand to embrace each other once more. This opportunity calls for attention and investments, in areas like education that humanize and enrich people's understanding of one another, said YUs Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, Senior Adviser to the Provost and Deputy Director of the Straus Center, who coordinated the program with the Museums founder, Ahmed Almansoori, a former member of the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council. "We are proud to be partnering with academic colleagues and both the Muslim and Jewish communities as we enrich each other through shared learning and strengthened friendship.
Titled Interacting Philosophies, Shared Friendships, the program covered social dynamics, philosophical exchanges and mutual influence between Judaism and Islam, with a particular focus on the great medieval scholar Moses Maimonides. A kosher dinner was served, and local dignitaries, religious leaders, scholars and university students from YU and MBZUH were in attendance.
During the first session, the Dean of Revel, Dr. Daniel Rynhold discussed "Maimonides and the Parable of the Sultans Palace," and MBZUH's Dr. Ibrahim Burshashen spoke on The Relationship between Ibn Rushd and Ibn Maimon. In the next session, MBZUHs Dr. Haider Hussain discussed "The Role and Impact of Islamic Civilization on Jewish Philosophy, with Maimonides as an Example," and Director of the YU Schneier Program for International Affairs Dr. Ronnie Perelis offered "A Cosmopolitan History of the Jewish-Muslim Encounter." The final part of the program featured Dr. Shira Weiss, Assistant Director of YU's Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Leadership and Values, who discussed the influence of Ibn Rushd on the philosophy of Joseph Albo. The next day, the YU scholars went on a VIP tour of the Abrahamic Family House led by Rabbi-in-Residence Ben de Toledo, who spent a year studying at YUs Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. The building, which houses a synagogue, church and mosque, recently opened, with YU alumni Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, Chief Rabbi of its Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue, delivering the dedication.
Following the tour, the YU scholars were guests of the Israeli ambassador to the UAE, Amir Hayek, as Israels Independence Day was celebrated in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
View the conference at
酴圖弝け's Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, senior adviser to the provost and deputy director of the Straus Center, was one of the co-organizers of YU's historic conference in Dubai.
