A Unique Multi-Faith Education Program for Middle School Students

In the spring of 2006, students at RRC partnered with Muslim graduate students from the University of Pennsylvania to plant the seeds for an exciting new project in multi-faith education called Abraham’s Children.

The program was conceived and led by Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, Ph.D., ’82, director of RRC’s department of religious studies. Fuchs-Kreimer is a pioneer and leader in interfaith dialogue at the national and international levels. In the course of her work she found that many religious leaders and educators are hungry for effective tools to help middle-school students develop understanding across faith lines. In particular, Jewish and Muslim educators need compelling and inspiring material to teach their young people about each other’s religious lives. In addition, many Christian educators are eager for materials to teach their students about Jews and Muslims. Secular schools, both public and private, also want to prepare their students for a multi-faith world.

The pilot for Abraham’s Children included two 10-minute videos that were filmed at a Jewish and a Muslim parochial school in the Philadelphia area. The videos feature sixth graders speaking about their faith and communities — what they love about them and what they find difficult.

Fifth through eighth graders at both schools watched the film about their religious counterparts and participated in discussions about Judaism and Islam, guided by interfaith teams of RRC and Muslim graduate students. Thanks to a planning grant from the Jacob and Malka Goldfarb Foundation, the pilot is being evaluated and plans are under way for the next stage of the project. For further information, please contact Fuchs-Kreimer at ReligiousStudies@rrc.edu.

Read Fuchs-Kreimer's blog about leadership for a multi-faith world.