International event at the Italian Parliament in Rome with the participation of Italian institutions and diplomats, such as the Ambassador of Indonesian to the Holy See H.E. Budiarman, representatives of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic Community, such as Mons. Lorenzo Leuzzi, Auxiliary Bishop of Rome, Riccardo Pacifici, President of the Jewish Community in Rome, Yahya Pallavicini, Vice President of CO.RE.IS. (Italian Muslim Community – Italy), and international guests from New York such as Rav Marc Schneier, President of FFEU Foundation for Ethnic understanding and Imam Shams Ali, President of the Muslim Indonesian Community in New York.

Prof. Mahoud Ayoub and the Rev. Matt Laney of Asylum Hill Congregational Church will speak about”The Bible and the Qur’an” in a continuation of the Interfaith University program developed this fall by the Asylum Hill Congregational Church. The purpose of Interfaith University is to explore what it means to be a Christian in a multi-faith world, and this year’s program focused on Islam. Programs were developed with faculty and students from Hartford Seminary. When the four week program concluded, participants wanted more, and among the followup events planned will be this presentation and conversation at Hartford Seminary. The program will focus on the continuity between the two Scriptures as illustrated in the themes of Creation, Revelation and Salvation. Time will be allowed for conversation with the presenters. This evening will be an opportunity to learn not only about the sacred scriptures of the two faiths, but about the resources of Hartford seminary and the model of partnership between the Seminary and Asylum Hill.

International interreligious event in Milan with the participation of local institutions such as Guido Podestà President of Milan Province, Francesco Cappelli Assessor for Education of Milan Municipality, Matteo Forte, Council Member of Milan Municipality, H.E. Kyle Scott USA General Consul in Milan, Abd al-Sabur Turrini Director of COREIS ITALIANA. The keynote speakers of the interreligious panel will be three representatives of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic Community, such as Shaykh Abd al-Wahid Pallavicini, President of COREIS ITALIANA, Father Lino Dan of San Fedele (Milan), and the international guest Rav Marc Schneier from New York, President of FFEU Foundation for the Ethical Understanding. Isa Abd al-Haqq Benassi of the I.S.A. (Interreligious Studies Academy) will chair the event.

World Interfaith Harmony Week is February 1-7. How will you participate? How about some engaging dialogue, learning & interfaith professional development? We’ve collected some of the best leaders in interfaith work today and are offering them up in a tempting menu of free webinars. It’s like attending a whole conference in little bits each day for a week. And did we mention it was free? The El-Hibri Foundation and Religions for Peace USA present (in alphabetical order): • Beth Katz: Innovative Strategies with Media in Interfaith Work; • Chris Stedman: Involvement of atheists and secularists in dialogue • Gerry Serotta with Yahya Hendi: Answering difficult questions from youth in interfaith dialogue; • Mohammed Abu-Nimer: Dialogue methods and best practices • Or Rose and Jennifer Peace Howe: The future of interfaith in higher education), • Patrice Brodeur: New research and following the data; • and others. Sign up today by contacting: [email protected], to get more information about the offerings and login information. An initial overview will be mailed to you and a set of instructions will be emailed to you the day of each event. Webinars are hosted on Google Hangout and recordings of them are posted on You Tube.

Rye’s Women’s Interfaith Annual Conference & Reception will be taking place on Sunday, February 9th at 3pm at the Community Synagogue of Rye at 200 Forest Ave in Rye, NY. The topic that will be discusses is Social Media in the Life of Ministry and You. At this Interfaith conference there will be a panel of Rye Clergy from Christ’s Church, Church of the Resurrection, Community Synagogue of Rye and Rye Presbyterian Church. The panel will be moderated by Diana Williams, News Anchor of WABC-TV.

As religious diversity increases on college and university campuses and as religion continues to play a key role in both domestic and international affairs, many institutions are looking for holistic ways to foster interfaith cooperation and pluralism on campus. One of the emerging discussions within this work is how interfaith engagement can be addressed within the college classroom and if there might be a burgeoning interdisciplinary field that could be called interfaith or multifaith studies. Such a field might be conceptualized as having both theoretical and applied aspects and could look to the establishment of other fields such as peace studies or women’s studies as analogues. If there is indeed a growing field of interfaith studies, what are the learning outcomes of such a field, and what might it look like to develop course sequences that achieve those learning outcomes? How might faculty from disparate fields share theoretical insights and effective pedagogical practices? This invite-only gathering seeks to create a space to begin to explore these questions and work towards concrete answers; the conference is co-hosted by Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) and New York University's (NYU) Of Many Institute for Multifaith Leadership, Wagner School of Public Service, and Silver School of Social Work. The conference is for campuses committed to developing undergraduate-focused course sequences in interfaith understanding and connecting with colleagues from colleges around the country who are engaging religious pluralism and interfaith cooperation in the classroom.

Join us for the 3rd annual Feast of Faiths, a facilitated discussion and dinner where we will celebrate our differences and find common ground. Bring your open heart and open mind.

Join us in Shalom, Peace, Salaam, Shanti. We will cultivate the practice of Abrahamic Hospitality and give thanks for the variety and richness of our faith traditions.

IN CELEBRATION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DAY THE U.S. MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE COMMITTEE OF RELIGIOUS NGOs AT THE UNITED NATIONS INVITE YOU TO A DISCUSSION “THE RISING TIDE OF RESTRICTIONS ON RELIGION: RELIGIONS RESPOND”

6:30pm - Open discussion on yogic teachings 7:00pm - Yoga Asanas, sun salution and joint movements 8:00pm - Relaxation, Meditation, Mantras, Kirtan etc. Please bring your own yoga mat, towel etc along with smiley face, loving heart and dakshina for your instructor. Make sure that your phone is off during the class time and not to have heavy meal 2 hours before the class. Led by Grand Master Yogi Guruji Dileepkumar Thankappan Website: www.GuruDileepji.com Bio: Guruji Dileepkumar Thankappan Guruji is a world renowned Yogi from Tripunithura, Kerala, India also known as the capitol of Cochin kingdom. His family is ancient and well respected for its Vedic knowledge of Yoga, Vedanta, Universal Spirituality, Kalaripayattu(origin of martial arts), Ayurveda & other natural self healing systems, Sanskrit, literature, art, social & cultural activities and interfaith teachings for peace. In his yogic life journeys, he met and learned from self-realized masters, saints, honored yogis, and alternative medical doctors. Having experienced yogic life style for over forty years, Guruji lived in Himalayan caves, ashrams, and palaces as well as living under Gurukula (guru-sishya-sambradaya), and modern educational systems. He is a scholar in modern and ancient techniques of yoga, meditation and related subjects. Guruji is an honorable guest speaker and judge in many international conferences, events, competitions, festivals and a recipient of several peace awards and titles for his yogic services to humanity. He is considered to be a new age celebrity yogi and humanitarian having multifaceted talents and a wide range of friends from homeless people he serves to diplomats. He often gives discourses and is interviewed by media around the world. His mission is to cultivate global peace and harmony through yogic life teachings.