Interfaith dinner co-sponsored by IDI Toronto, ISARC and the Church of the Holy Trinity was held on the 13th of September at the Church of the Holy Trinity in down-town Toronto with participation of around 100 guests. The dinner started with opening remarks from Laurel Rotman, national coordinator for Campaign 2000, followed by the speeches of Sean Hillman, Jennifer Henry, Halil Simsek and Avrum Rosensweig. After the questions and answers session, night ended with closing remarks from Michael Skaljin of ISARC. All speakers including the night’s moderator Deacon Pedro Guavera Mann were given special gifts; Ebru (water marbling) artworks produced by IDI Toronto’s volunteers.
——————PROGRAM (6:30pm – 9:30pm)—————–
RECEPTION
INTRODUCTION OF MODERATOR
M. Fatih Yegul
Executive Director of IDI Toronto
WELCOMING REMARKS
Sherman Hesselgrave
Incumbent Priest of the Church of the Holy Trinity
OPENING REMARKS
Laurel Rothman
National Coordinator of Campaign 2000
DINNER
SPEECHES
Sean Hillman (Buddhism)
Jennifer Henry (Christianity)
Halil Simsek (Islam)
Avrum Rosensweig (Judaism)
Q&A SESSION
CLOSING REMARKS
Michael Skaljin
Executive Director of ISARC
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BELOW IS A PLAYLIST OF SPAKERS’ VIDEOS, PLEASE CLICK THE PLAYLIST BUTTON TO SEE ALL FOUR VIDEOS.
Interfaith Dinner: “Perspectives on Social Justice” organized by
IDI Toronto, ISARC and Church of the Holy Trinity.
September 13th, 2012
Church of the Holy Trinity
10 Trinity Square, Toronto ON M5G 1B1
Moderator:
Deacon Pedro Guevara Mann, Salt + Light TV
Opening Remarks:
Laurel Rothman, National Coordinator, Campaign 2000
Speakers:
Avrum Rosensweig, Founding Director and President, Ve’ahavta – Judaism
Halil Simsek, PhD Candidate, Near & Mid. Eastern Civ., UofT – Islam
Jennifer Henry, Executive Director, KAIROS, Christianity
Sean Hillman, PhD Student, Study of Religion, UofT – Buddhism
Avrum Rosensweig
Avrum Rosensweig, Founding Director and President of Ve’ahavta that is motivated by
the ethics of Judaism and the importance of hands-on volunteerism, and believes that
by working with interfaith partners, both Jews and non-Jews rediscover the beauties of
Judaism, its universal ethical message, and how Jewish inspired acts of charity make
the world a better place. Avrum was a talk show host and performed on television for
ten years. He writes a weekly newspaper column for the Canadian Jewish News and is
also Ve’ahavta’s most popular public speaker.
Halil Simsek
Born and raised in Turkey, Mr. Simsek attended the famous al-Azhar University in
Cairo. He worked at the Ottoman and state archives of the government in Turkey, where
he had ample opportunity to excel in Ottoman Turkish. He came to U.S. to pursue a
second degree in Political Science from Hunter College of CUNY. Currently, he is a
senior PhD. Student at the department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations of University
of Troonto, specializing in Islamic Stuidies. He also works at the same department
as teaching instructor, and teaching &research assistant. He is proficient in Turk
ish, Ottoman-Turkish and Arabic, and well advanced in Persian, French and German
Jennifer Henry
Jennifer Henry has worked for KAIROS and its predecessor coalitions for almost 20
years, and currently serves on the staff of KAIROS as the Manager for the Dignity and
Rights and Fundraising Teams. She holds BA (honours) degree in English Literature
from University of Manitoba. Along with her gifts for leadership and theological reflection,
she brings a depth of programmatic knowledge and a strong commitment to
KAIROS and its relationships with churches, partners and networks. Inspired by a
vision of God’s compassionate justice, KAIROS advocates for social change, amplifying
and strengthening the public witness of its members.
Sean Hillman
Sean Hillman is a Buddhist scholar working on a collaborative doctorate in Religious
Studies (specializing in South Asian Religions) & bioethics, having finished a collaborative
Masters degree in Religious Studies (Buddhist Studies) and Bioethics, and holding a
B.A. in East Asian Studies, all at the University of Toronto. Sean was a Buddhist monk
for 13 years, ordained twice by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in India where he also studied
Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan language at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
and the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. He is a faculty member for the Contem
plative End of Life Care program at the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Toronto.
Please RSVP at www.interfaithdinner.com by September 9th, 2012
