The International Newsletter of Bat Kol Institute, Jerusalem
Vol.V, No. 3, August 2009
On behalf of the Board of Directors I send greetings, blessing and shalom to all the Alumni and friends of BAT KOL throughout the world. I hope you are well and that you continue to be inspired by your experience with BAT KOL; taking what opportunities you can to share it with others.
Following the Jerusalem Summer program of 2009, it is good to be able to re-affirm that the work of BAT KOL continues unabated, enabling Christian people from many lands to engage ever more deeply and authentically with the rich and wonderful heritage of the Hebrew Scriptures. Our special thanks and appreciation in this regard go to Maureena, Jack, Marie-Andre and Elisheva for their excellent and on-going contribution. The content and organisation of the program ensured, as always, a very satisfactory experience for the students.
The outcome of this work, and its outreach, is no doubt expanding our sense of the living God - the One God - whose mysterious self-revelation constantly invites us to cherish and respect the different but related faith-paths of Jews and Christians. So, being involved in this small but critically important inter-faith project is a privilege. It presses us to continue our study and prayer with the Torah, and invites us to take the key concepts of Bat Kol methodology into our everyday life-pattern. Being faithful to them – Talmud Torah, Havrutah, Sabbath observance, Parashat HaShavuah, in the Hebrew language - reshapes our minds and hearts, and enables us to build bridges and diminish prejudice. This is surely one way of fulfilling our ancient and ever-new commitment – ‘We will hear and we will do’ (Deut 5:27).
This year 2009, we got further encouragement with the publication of the ICCJ document – A Time for Recommitment. Speaking to Jews and Christians alike, the ICCJ issued a new call to all of us to continue the process of learning and dialogue. BAT KOL can certainly find its place in this amazing journey of seeking and finding light together.
In planning our way forward in this context, the BOARD of BAT KOL Institute is seeking to strengthen its academic, organisational and financial structures. We hope to be in touch with you later as we refine what is needed. In the meantime your ideas and suggestions are more than welcome.
As we near the celebration of the Jewish New Year 5770 in mid September, let us look out for newness, wisdom and peace as the Spirit continues to work among us.
Shalom and todah to all
Helena O’Donoghue, RSM
Feast of St. Augustine, 28.08.09
A Message from Maureena Fritz nds
Academic Director, Bat Kol Institute, Jerusalem
“Christians studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish sources.” We were a group of professional people from the four corners of the earth, all gathered in Jerusalem during the months of July and August, 2009 for an intensive course on Obedience and Rebellion Themes in the Book of Numbers and the Gospels.
At the opening ceremonies we sang, “Ki mitzon teitzei Torah,” - For out of Zion goes forth the Torah (Is.2.3) and at the closing ceremony we sang the refrain again:
For out of Zion goes forth the Torah
only this time significant changes had taken place in each one. After hours and hours of study in the classroom with Jewish and Christian professors, walking the land in Galilee, lush and green, and then into the desert with miles and miles of sand dunes under a hot piercing sun, each one had become, in a manner of speaking, the living Word of God.
Now from out of Zion (Jerusalem), the group was dispersing: to Kerala, India; Sydney Australia; Toronto, Canada; Quezon City, Philippines; Rome, Italy; Johannesburg, South. Africa and Davao City, Philippines. As a last gesture before leaving all recited the Bat Kol refrain, Shamanu Vey Asinu “We will Hear and we will Do” (Dt. 5.27).
Those of us who remain in Jerusalem ask God to bless you:
May YAH bless you and protect you,
May YAH deal kindly and graciously with you,
May YAH bestow favor upon you and grant you peace.
Numbers 6:23-26
See the Graduation photograph of the group on the Bat Kol website: http://www.batkol.info
Reflections from the 2009 Bat Kol Summer Program participants
Australia, sydney. Sarah Anne Black is involved in parish and youth ministry “What an experience the Bat Kol course on Bamidbar (The Book of Numbers) was for me! I came with the intention and expectation that I was coming to find a deeper understanding of the person of Jesus Christ rather than Christ as a figurehead. What I learnt from the course was so much more than that, I came to a greater understanding of the Creator God and the Holy Spirit.
“ I was exposed to fresh and liberating methods of Biblical exegesis so that I reached a deeper understanding of both the Old and the New Testaments. More than this, I came to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the rich traditions and origins of our Christian faith. I am so excited to be now empowered with a mission to spread the ‘Good News’ to my fellow Catholics that our faith is so much richer than we think and that we, and the Jewish people, have a wonderful opportunity to work together for a deeper understanding of, and relationship to, the One True God of Abraham, Sarah and all of humanity.”
Australia, sydney. Fr Vincent Casey is Vicar General of Broken Bay Diocese.
“I have just completed my first experience of a Bat Kol program in Jerusalem where we studied the Book of Numbers.
“The month had a mix of formal teaching in the classroom, participating in Synagogue services, celebrating Sabbath and visiting significant places throughout the Holy Land. Among the many insights, memories and experiences, the vulnerability of my two hours alone in the wilderness stands out for me. It has heightened my appreciation of the wanderings of the Chosen People and the life of a shepherd. This experience has changed forever my reading of Psalm 23.
“My thanks to all those involved in organizing the program.”
Australia, sydney. Teresa Pirola, Bat Kol alumna 2007, is a freelance writer focusing on publications designed to engage both Catholic families and parishes with the Hebrew Scriptures and with an appreciation of Jewish sources and approaches that can enrich and inform their Christian faith.
“It has been a grace to return to Bat Kol for a second time, this time with a team of five Australians to share the experience. We are enthused by the mission ahead of us to share the gift of Torah and Shabbat back home. We are grateful for this opportunity to participate in the Bat Kol program.”
Australia, sydney. Alison Ryan is immersed in parish and youth ministry. “When I first met Bro. Jack Driscoll in November 2008, he mentioned that I should come to Jerusalem and study at the Bat Kol Institute. It was an unbelievable dream then, but it has been realised. I have just finished the 2009 Summer Session.
“Back home in Sydney (and I am sure everywhere else) everyone is busy! My time in Israel has been such a blessing because it has given me the chance, away from all the hustle and bustle, to really immerse myself in the Word of God. I saw Scripture in a new way by using methods and traditions that Christ would have used to study and to live Torah, an this has rocked my world.
“Thank you to the Bat Kol staff, the Rabbis and teachers and the other students who journeyed with me… What an experience!!”
Australia, sydney. Gennifer Whelton is a teacher and has a passion for God, dance, music and the dramatic arts. “My experience of Bat Kol has been one of romance! I have fallen in love with the TORAH. This new relationship has been a liberation – my own bamidbar (wilderness)- I feel a new connection to the Scriptures and a new desire to search more deeply for the heritage that I have discovered.
“I have particularly enjoyed learning about and practising the different rabbinic methodologies for approaching Scripture. I have found the process liberating! Not only in my intellectual approach to Scripture, but also in my “I-Thou” relationship with God. I have always sought after ‘God’s nature’ now I feel more able to read the clues God has given me in the text. The openness to questions and to reverently interpreting Scripture is to me the key to more deeply connecting with and understanding God.
“ I walk away from this experience with new tools to find God. Thus, how can one keep such a treasure to oneself? Therefore like all authentic love encounters I feel the need to shout from the rooftops! It has to be shared because I am a girl in love. Thank you Bat Kol for helping me fall in love.”
CANADA, Toronto. Patricia O’ Reilly teaches at the University of Toronto at OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education). She teaches in the Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Department and is the Coordinator of the ‘Social Justice in Catholic Education’ cohort. “‘The Torah shall go out from Jerusalem’. On my last night in Jerusalem the group shared a Shabbat meal at the home of Rabbi Ron & Mrs. Kronish. There were two loaves of hallah bread on the table. When I asked Amy, the hostess, why this was so, she replied: “There are always two loaves to remind us that we are doubly blessed“. Well, I am not a Jew, but I certainly am doubly blessed.
“This was my second course with Bat Kol and I am grateful for the blessing of this opportunity in my life. We spent four weeks studying one book of the Torah: the Book of Numbers or Bamidbar. A Jewish Midrash says that if the Word does not make sense to us, it is our problem - not a problem in the text. What a challenge! I will continue to try to ‘dig deep, dig deep, there is a surprise there.’ Alleluia – Praise God.”
CANADA, Toronto. Christine Castaldo is the course Director of Religious Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto University. “From the moment I stepped off the plane and walked into St Charles’ Convent I was engaged, enthralled, educated and immersed in the glory of the people of Israel. Each day we studied at the feet of masters, rabbis
and teachers opened up the Torah in ways I have never imagined. Learning to speak and to pray in Hebrew, breaking open the word, havrutah, and the readings were all taught to us with
passion and enthusiasm. Each day opened with the singing of the Shema (Hear, O Israel…) and was followed by the reading of Blessings. We had the opportunity to attend Sabbath services in Synagogues and this enriched our understanding of Judaism and the faith of the people.
“The visit to sites around Jerusalem, Galilee and the desert gave us historical and archeological perspectives which helped to deepen our understanding of the People, the Land and the Book. In the future everytime I read the Book of Numbers I will be reminded of this wonderful’ life and faith’ experience that was made possible by the dedication and commitment of all those involved with the Bat Kol Institute.
“I am prepared to go back to Canada to take the ‘Voice’ (kol) out from Jerusalem.”
England, Italy. Bro. Francis Hall CFC is a member of the Christian Brothers’ Congregational Leadership Team “I have enjoyed our Rabbi teachers immensely. They are outstanding in terms of provoking intense discussion about the passages describing the rebellions of the Israelites in the desert and how hard a job Moses had as a leader! A whole new dimension for me is the study of the Talmudic writings of Jewish sages and rabbis. As we worked in twos and threes (havrutah) puzzling over a text you could not help but be drawn into the process and realise that God is teaching us all the time.
“Another highlight for me has been the weekly visits to a local synagogue – the first time in my life. I felt quite at home as it had the feel of a small homely parish Sunday Mass and we had been well prepared as to how to follow the prayers from the prayer book – all in Hebrew but with the English translation alongside. The opening prayers and psalms, sung and recited, carry a sense of expectation as the build up to the most sacred moment – the reading of the section of the Torah. I found the experience most inspiring.
“For me the Bat Kol experience has many layers. I have rejoiced in being able to touch my Jewish family roots. The Bat Kol Institute is a Christian organization, which has moved respectfully alongside another faith tradition, and in so doing has shared ‘the spiritual search’ in a wider context than usual. This “moving alongside” is my passionate desire for our world. At yet another level, Bat Kol has provided me with a precious time of listening to God so as to continue to learn the vocation of being Brother in our world of so much struggle and difference.” “
INDIA, Kerala. James Raphael Anaparambil is Rector at St Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Aluva, Kerala. “The time spent with Bat Kol has helped me to gain new insight into, and appreciation of, the timeless treasure of Torah; to find again in it the fresh and flowing waters of life and to be at home with the Jewish experience of Torah as the open-ended Word of God committed to the Children of Covenant .
“Visiting the land and its people and seeing the beginnings of the Christian faith set the necessary and ideal backdrop to my first ever Bat Kol study experience. The Jewish people, the learned Torah and Talmudic scholars, the synagogue liturgies, Shabbat meals and other multiple Jewish experiences provided a novel interface with Judaism for an Indian like me who has hardly ever spoken to a Jew.
“The excursions throughout the land in the footsteps of the Patriarchs and Jesus gave me a fresh understanding of the stories in the Bible. The Bat Kol staff, the wonderful companions, and the delectable culinary and friendly hosts at St. Charles Convent, not to mention the many guides on the tours, all made my stay and study a good experience. The Word was sown in good soil. It was, for me, clearly a time of rejuvenation and rejoicing in the study of Torah. Bat Kol (=the Daughter of a Voice) is what lingers and resounds within me as I call to mind the unique experience of studying Torah in a Jewish milieu.”
PHILIPPINES, Quezon City Dr/Helen R.Graham is a Maryknoll Sister who teaches Scripture at graduate and undergraduate level at the Institute of Formation and Religious Studies, Quezon City. “I am not a newcomer to Jerusalem or to Bat Kol! But I must say that each coming has been new. What I particularly rejoiced over this time was the morning spent at the ‘City of David’ and the very informative input from Jared Goldfarb, the guide, When I visited that site in 1982 on my first visit (from Tanzania via Cairo to Tel Aviv and New York) there was only Hezekiah’s tunnel and an ancient pre-Davidic wall to see. The site has been greatly developed since then.
“I was very grateful for the series of lectures in the Galilee and in Jerusalem by Bro. Elio Passeto, a Brother of Sion, on the relationship of the very early Christian community with the Jewish community in the Galilee which was until around the seventh century. The availability of this information is not widespread.”
PHILIPPINES, Davao City Dr Ruby Simon is a Family Medicine Practitioner and a member of the Shelah Lekha Scripture group of the Society of Mary. She is a Bat Kol alumna.
“The four weeks of journeying have been extremely fascinating and stimulating. Learning the Hebrew language, although quite challenging for most of us, is absolutely essential for the understanding of the Hebrew text.
“The havrutah groups with participants from different parts of the world, the intense interaction with faculty members broadened our minds and improved our skill at interpretation. The visits to archaeological sites and the historical review of the development of our Christian faith as it separated from Judaism were remarkable. The books and resource material that were given to us for learning and teaching are precious gifts. The energy, love and enthusiasm of the staff was encouraging. Thank you Bat Kol for this life-changing experience.”
SOUTH ARICA, Johannesburg. Dr/Sr Teresa Marie Healey is a Dominican Sister who is the National Director of the SPRED (Special Religious Development) program in South Africa. “I have just spent the past month at the Bat Kol program in Jerusalem. Coming with slight trepidation that I would not be able to cope with the Hebrew, I was delighted to experience the support, kindness and sharing of each member of the Bat Kol team. This experience opened the way for many wonderful and different ways of sharing. What is particularly memorable is kibbutz Ein Gev and the many places we visited in Galilee in the few days we spent there. Now I feel like a person who has been served so many courses from a vast menu. I hope that I will be able to share these on my return to South Africa.”
Bat Kol Institute, Jerusalem
~~1983-2009~~
“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources”
Marie Andre Mitchell, SND de Namur, Editor. Bat Kol Alumna 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006,2008
Responsible for of Student Affairs
Please send submissions to marieandre@batkol.info
