Elijah Interfaith Institute is a nonprofit, international, UNESCO-sponsored interfaith organization which was founded by Rabbi

Alon Goshen-Gottstein Alon Goshen-Gottstein (Hebrew: אלון גושן גוטשטיין) (born 1956, England) is a scholar of Jewish studies and a theoretician and activist in the domain of interfaith dialogue. He is founder and director of the Elijah Interfai ...

in 1997. Headquartered in Jerusalem, Elijah has offices and representatives in different countries, and holds its activities in multiple international settings.

The Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders

The Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders brings together religious figures from Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and the Religions of India in order to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas. The Board numbers about 70 leaders from all faith traditions, and includes figures such as the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...

Cardinal Schönborn Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Mustafa Cerić Mustafa Cerić (, born 5 February 1952) is a Bosnian imam who served as the Grand Mufti (''Reis-ul-Ulema'') of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is currently president of the World Bosniak Congress. He was also a candidate for a List of Bosniak members ...

, Mata Amritanandamayi and Chief Rabbi

Jonathan Sacks Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks ( he, יונתן הנרי זקס, translit=Yona'tan Henry Zaks; 8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United ...

. The Board represents an opportunity for these religious leaders to collectively address today's problems from within the resources of their own traditions. The Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders convenes in-person bi-annually, in different locations around the globe. It has met to date seven times, since its creation in Seville in 2003. Sub-groups have met on specific projects of common interest.

The Elijah Interfaith Academy

The projects undertaken by the Academy deal with religion in contemporary society, and with the theoretical foundations of interfaith relations. Several research projects and publications have focused on theology of religions, considering the theological approaches of a given religion towards others as well of broader theoretical issues related to religious pluralism. One scholarly forum of the Elijah Interfaith Academy is devoted to the study of the mystical and spiritual life in an interreligious context. One of the contemporary research projects focuses on the study of outstanding religious individuals who have the potential of being inspiring across religious traditions.

Elijah School for the Study of Wisdom in World Religions (including Summer Schools)

Prior to the creation of the Board and Academy, Elijah was known as the Elijah School for the Study of Wisdom in World Religions. Not only did the school bring together twelve Jerusalem-based Jewish, Christian, and Muslim institutions within an academic consortium, but it also provided one of the few places in Israel where Orthodox,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

and

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

Jews met without prejudice. An Elijah Summer School consists of academic study, which takes place not in isolation or in abstraction, but within an interfaith community of faculty and students. Interfaith dialogue forms the backbone of the school and allows for the integration of the study of religious traditions with exposure to their lived spirituality. Topics of Previous Elijah Interfaith Summer Schools include: * The Place of Law in World Religions * The Representation of God in Image, Icon, Word, and Thought *

Mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

Prayer * Conversion and Religious Identity * Holy Lives: Saints in World Religions * Sacred Space without Holy Land: Diaspora in World Religion * Authority in World Religions * Death and Dying *

Holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

in World Religions: The Idea and the Crisis * Sexuality, Textuality, and Spirituality * The Power of Prayer * Religious Genius * Religious Leadership: Ideals and Challenges

References

{{Reflist Interfaith organizations Organizations based in Jerusalem 1997 establishments in Israel Religious organizations established in 1997