A Unique Multifaith 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 multifaith education called Abraham’s Children.

The program was conceived and led by Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, Ph.D., ’82, director of RRC’s department of multifaith studies and initiatives. 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 multifaith world.

The pilot for Abraham’s Children included three 10-minute videos that were filmed at parochial schools in the Philadelphia area: one Jewish, one Muslim and one Catholic. 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 the Jewish and the Muslim schools watched the films about each other 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 MultifaithStudies@rrc.edu.

Watch videos of Rabbi Daniel Brenner, '97, an expert in multifaith education and a consultant to the program.

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