Programs of the Jewish Chautauqua Society

Scholar in Residence
For more than 75 years, JCS has sponsored and funded the Scholar in Residence Program. This program, enabling mainly Reform Rabbis to serve as adjunct professors and lead full semester courses at colleges, seminaries, and theological training institutes, has become the heart of the educational mission of JCS. The rabbis of the Scholar in Residence Program, academics and devoted clergy in their own right, introduce future Christian ministers and non-Jewish lay leaders to the contributions that Jews and Judaism have made to world culture.

Interfaith Institutes
JCS sponsors and funds the Interfaith Institute Program, an initiative designed to bring local community clergy together for discussion and dialogue. Operating at local grassroots levels to encourage rabbis, priests, imams and lay leaders to learn about the commonalties and differences among the various faiths in any given community, Interfaith Institutes create an atmosphere of understanding within communities whose population is diverse and devoted to learning about one another.

Book Grant Program
JCS sponsors and funds the Book Grant Program, donating thousands of books on Judaica to colleges, seminaries, universities and community libraries. This program, in existence for over 50 years, has placed information about Jews and Judaism in the hands of Americans who may never have met a Jew or learned anything about the traditions of Judaism. The valuable contributions made through the Book Grant Program ensure that any person in a given community can learn something about Jewish civilization.

Walking Together Program
The Walking Together Program was developed in response to a series of racist and anti-Semitic acts in Elmira, New York, in 1998. An interfaith coalition of local lay and religious leaders, headed by Rabbi David Kunin, was established to battle the intolerance in their community. Through this initiative, the Walking Together educational program on religious diversity for fourth to sixth grade school children and their parents was born. Convinced that the program had relevance in hundreds of communities throughout North America, a national organization was sought to administer the program nationwide. MRJ was approached in May 2000, and readily agreed to become the national sponsor based on the proven record of successful interfaith programs of its Jewish Chautauqua Society. Official transfer of the program from MRJ to JCS was approved at a December 2003 JCS Board meeting.

Walking Together is an experiential learning program for 5 students and their parents from each of the three major faith groups, Christian, Muslim and Jewish. They meet for three 3-hour sessions. It requires trained facilitators to conduct the program and promote the interaction needed in the intergenerational group to allow them to understand and appreciate their religious diversity.