Category Archives: Interfaith Matters

In Memoriam:
The Inauguration of Jill Ker Conway

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Emmett Wald
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Jill Ker Conway, the seventh president of Smith College, died a few weeks ago on 1 June 2018. She has been fondly remembered by many others, and I will not attempt to offer an additional obituary or recollection of her … Continue reading →

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Activism in religious spaces:
Smithies pushing for peace at the J Street Conference

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Jenna Haines '19
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A handful of Smithies traveled to our nation’s Capitol last weekend to join 1,200 students at the national J-Street conference, which coincided with the organization’s 10th anniversary. J-Street is a national political movement that advocates for a peaceful, two-state resolution to … Continue reading →

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Women’s Activism on the Religious Right

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Jenna Haines '19
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Dr. Lihi Ben Shitrit, Assistant Professor of International Affairs at the University of Georgia, presented a chapter summary and lecture drawn from her 2015 book “Righteous Transgressions: Women’s Activism on the Israeli and Palestinian Religious Right.” Dr. Shitrit travelled throughout … Continue reading →

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The Legacy of Reverend Dr. King:
Where Do We Go From Here?

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Jenna Haines '19
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Twenty-two-year-old Stephon Clark was fatally shot by Sacramento Police in his grandmother’s backyard on March 18, 2018. If there is a vigil to be held in writing, let us do so now. The Center for Religious and Spiritual life held … Continue reading →

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A Message from the Director

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Matilda Cantwell
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Dear Friends, Now more than ever, even in secular New England at Smith College, religion matters. Eboo Patel, founder of the Interfaith Youth Core, says that the question of how people orient around religion or interact with one another, whether that … Continue reading →

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Nurturing Students with Secular Spiritual Programming

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Emmett Wald
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Here at the Center for Religious & Spiritual Life, we think it’s important to offer programming for students who are atheist or nonreligious. That may sound counterintuitive, but in fact it’s a vital part of what we do. When asked … Continue reading →

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A Message from the Director

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Matilda Cantwell
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Dear Friends, Last spring Smith conducted a national search for the new leader of the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, and I put my hat in the ring, so to speak, after serving as Interim Director for a year, … Continue reading →

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Walking About Smith As Us:
Muslim Students’ Perspectives

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Chapel Student
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First-year student Yacine Fall wrote the following paper for her English 118 course, “Youth Activism”; the assignment is to write a photojournalist essay on the life of a Smith student. She chose to look at what it is like to … Continue reading →

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Conveying True Welcome

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Matilda Cantwell
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In these times of discrimination against immigrants, people of color, those seeking refuge, and so many other groups, in addition to a rash of gun violence and natural disasters which have displaced and traumatized whole communities this fall, it is … Continue reading →

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Ancient Standard Time

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser
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In September, Jewish students entered a slightly different time zone—Ancient Standard Time. Coming to school as Smith students, theirs was the season for back-to-school, classes beginning, and maybe Mountain Day. However, as Jewish students, September was also Rosh HaShanah, the … Continue reading →

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