ELON COLLEGE, N.C. – Scholars of several faiths will speak at an interdisciplinary conference, “The Spirit of the Orient and Judaism,” March 28-30 on the Elon College campus. The conference, which will also include performances of Indian music and dance, is free and open to the public.
Participants will include faculty members in religion, philosophy and history from Elon College, Florida International University, the University of Maryland, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina Central University, the University of Georgia at Athens, Perimeter College, Calcutta (India) University, Rabindrabharati University, India, and Ben-Gurion University, Israel.
Topics include a panel discussion of the Hindu-Jewish interreligious dialogue; Judaism and nature; democracy in Israel; a study of the work of Martin Buber; the Jews of Calcutta; women in the novels of Rabindrnath Tagore; and cosmic consciousness in a global society. Presentations will be from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and from noon to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in McKinnon Hall of the Moseley Center.
A keynote address titled “The Spirit of the Orient and Judaism” will be given by Allen Hochberg, a judge, philosopher and Jewish theologian from New York City. The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the home of Elon philosophy professor Yoram Lubling, 2289 Lakeview Terrace, Burlington, N.C.
Mrindangam, a four-person performing group featuring Indian music and dance, including a sitar recital, will perform at 6:30 p.m. both Tuesday and Thursday evenings in McKinnon hall.
The conference is directed by Elon faculty members Chandana Chakrabarti, associate professor of religion, and Yoram Lubling, assistant professor of philosophy. Sponsors are the philosophy and religious studies departments, the Emersonian Society, the Office of Religious Life and the Elon chapters of Alpha Chi and Theta Alpha Kappa honor societies.
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