Being a part of this year’s Teachers Fellowship at ICJS has given my values much-needed depth and articulation. I found myself in earnest agreement with the mission and purpose behind the meetings and events we participated in. Over and over again, whether it’s on the news, in an article online, or in a podcast, we hear about the problem of polarization and the need to bridge the gap between different religious and political groups. The efforts being made by an organization like ICJS are more important today than ever.
My background is in Christian ministry and education. I have worked in several churches and schools in South America, Eastern Europe, and now Baltimore. I love my faith, what it adds to my life, and where it has taken me thus far. Currently, I teach in a local Orthodox Jewish school. What I enjoy most about having worked in different cultural and religious contexts is stepping outside of myself, so to speak, to see the world through different eyes. With that comes the challenge of finding common ground and language, and this year’s Teacher Fellowship really helped me in that area.
The most meaningful gathering of the year for me was a special dialogue meeting that combined the Teachers Fellowship with the Justice Leaders Fellowship. The topic of the evening was the Israel-Hamas war. I think that the tragedy in Israel last October has really underscored the importance of what we were doing and working on together. In that special meeting, what I appreciated most was the maturity and sensitivity of everyone in the room, even though there were clearly differing viewpoints on the subject. I also learned a lot from the ICJS moderators by how they led the group. The central value that evening was listening and hearing each other, and I think it really drove home for me how important that is.
Peter Berger, a famous 20th-century sociologist and Protestant theologian, said that “pluralism is a fact of modernity.” What he meant by that was, due to globalization, we have no choice but to rub shoulders with people who think and believe differently than we do. Wherever our sphere of influence is, whether it is at our workplace, place of worship, or our community, we have more opportunities than ever to bridge the gap and engage in interreligious dialogue. These positive interactions will go a long way to mending the fabric of our interreligious society.
Andy Castro taught at Israel Henry Beren High School and he was a 2023-2024 ICJS Teachers Fellow. Learn more about the ICJS programs for teachers here.
Opinions expressed in blog posts by the ICJS Teacher Fellows are solely the author’s. ICJS welcomes a diversity of opinions and perspectives.