Gratz College to Provide Jewish Studies Courses in Peace and Justice

One of the things that makes Hartford Seminary so special is the diversity of religious perspectives within our classrooms.  The multitude of religious viewpoints truly makes the educational experience rich and dynamic. It is for this reason that we are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Gratz College.

Founded in 1895, Gratz is the oldest independent and pluralistic graduate school for Jewish studies in North America. Gratz is internationally recognized for its historic focus on Jewish studies and education, and as a leader in developing effective educators, professionals, leaders and scholars, both within and beyond the Jewish community.

The particular slate of courses Gratz has opened up to our students – Post-Holocaust Theologies, The Church and the Holocaust, and Antisemitism and Racism – enhances our own focused Master's programs. These Gratz courses will help those students in our Master's in International Peacebuilding and in our Master's in Interreligious Studies better understand Jewish identity, as well as the trauma and discrimination faced by Jewish people. This understanding will promote more empathetic relationships.

Our chaplaincy program strives to develop skilled professional spiritual caregivers with considerable sensitivity to interfaith concerns. The slate of Gratz courses offers our students an opportunity to focus on themes that are very important for future chaplains to appreciate, especially those who plan to serve in university contexts.

In the spirit of “exchange” we have also opened up the four core courses in our Master's in Chaplaincy to Gratz students. The diversity afforded through our Gratz classmates will certainly increase the dialogical sensitivity of our own aspiring chaplains.

For information about cross-registration for Gratz courses, visit this link.

Post-Holocaust Theologies will be offered from Oct. 27 to Dec. 21, 2021. For more information about that course, visit this link.