Interfaith Programs

Chai Mitzvah has welcomed interfaith groups and activities throughout its 13 year history. Here are some of the highlights of the work we have done in this area.

  • We have sent copies of Scott’s book In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism to hundreds of interfaith organizations including seminaries, schools, libraries, and houses of worship.
  • We created a 4-part curriculum around the book called Community Conversations.
  • For the past 5 years, we have taught an interfaith group at the Mandell JCC in West Hartford CT.
  • We have used the Chai Mitzvah materials for an interfaith clergy group on Block Island, Rhode Island and have participated in an interfaith study group with the Episcopal Minister.
  • We designed a lecture with Scott Shay and a leading atheist scholar at the Hartford International University for Religion and Peace entitled If Religion Divides us and Values Unite Us, Who Needs God? Although we had 150 participants signed up, COVID made us postpone this event.
  • We conducted Chai Mitzvah classes with Interfaith Family (now 18Doors)
  • We have facilitated Scott Shay’s appearance in Christian Media including numerous podcasts, webinars, and periodicals.
  • We studied Critical Conversations with interfaith groups in Kansas City.
  • Other Chai Mitzvah groups in Kansas City (One studying Mussar, and one focusing on Aseret: The Big Ten) have been enriched by the inclusion of Christians and those who identify with no organized religion at all. Their perspectives challenge Jewish participants to think deeply about the beliefs we hold within our tradition and invite us to embrace the possibility of “many truths.”
  • Interweave is an interfaith, interspiritual learning center located in NJ. The mission of Interweave is to help people seek the wellness of self and society. We taught Critical Conversations to an interfaith group at Interweave.
  • Sisterhood of Salaam-Shalom is a national organization whose mission is to embrace the power of Muslim and Jewish sisterhood to “spark sustainable social change.” We taught Critical Conversations to the women of the SOSS Morris County 1 Chapter.