Roots and Branches
The former church of my ancestors in Amsterdam As a rabbinical student, I engage in interfaith work which I find very important. For previous interfaith work, I have attended conferences (such as L.A.'s interseminarian conference 'InterSem' ) and have written articles and given lectures for both the Dutch Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. One of my more exciting assignments this past month was giving a lecture at the 'Vrije Gemeente', the 'Free Community' of Amsterdam. The Vrije Gemeente originated as a very liberal, 'Unitarian Universalist-esque' Protestant community founded in 1877. Over the centuries, they have held on to their commitment to theological liberalism and humanism. They welcome a wide range of speakers for their Sunday morning activities. Petrus Hermannus Hugenholtz (my father, z"l, had his nose!) I approached the Vrije Gemeente last year because I wanted to do an activity for them. My reasons were rather specific and rema...