Gordon College Breaks the Routine: Rabbis Lecture on a Christian Campus

To some students at Gordon College, attending chapel is part of the daily routine. To some, attending chapel is out of the question; sleep is more important. However in mid-September, as some students went about their routine and attended the Friday morning convocation, they were in for a surprise. Greg Carmer, Dean of Chapel, would not be speaking today; rather, Rabbi’s would be lecturing at this Christian college.

Perhaps Gordon needed to promote the presence of the Rabbis more. Ariana Rostron, a junior Spanish major at Gordon College, said, “I attended the Rabbi chapel. I didn’t know that I was attending anything out of the ordinary though; I just went to get chapel credit.” After polling several sophomores and juniors at Gordon, 90% of those polled were not aware of the Rabbis presence on campus.

Those who chose to sleep, rather than attend convocation, missed out. Rabbi Barauch Halevy, Lecturer on Jewish Spirituality, Leader of the Temple of Shirat Havam, led the opening convocation. Halevy spoke about the Psalms, headlining that “God wants the heart” and explaining Judaism customs and history. Halevy spoke in a Jewish tongue, to incorporate his background into the lecture, and he used humor to win over his dominantly Christian audience.

The Rabbi convocations were not the routine chapel service, they were an event that explored diverse view points and promoted a healthy future for Jewish-Christian relationships.