Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Rabbi, Colleague of Pope Joins GU Interfaith Tradition as Member of Jewish Studies Faculty

Longtime friend of Pope Francis and leading contemporary facilitator of Catholic-Jewish interreligious dialogue Rabbi Abraham Skorka joined Georgetown’s Center for Jewish Civilization (CJC) this fall as a senior research fellow.

In his new role at Georgetown, Skorka will serve as the senior research fellow for Jewish Studies and Jewish-Christian Relations. He brings five decades of ministerial experience to the role, which will help guide his research on changing world views towards antisemitism, strengthen Jewish life on campus and teach a CJC course in the Spring 2023 semester. Skorka will also continue work on a book that looks at the historical Jewish understanding of antisemitism. Skorka has previously taught courses at Georgetown, but now transitioned to a permanent role.

Skorka previously served as the rector of Seminario RabĂ­nico Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Alongside former Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now known as Pope Francis, Skorka spearheaded a series of 31 Catholic-Jewish interfaith conversations on topics ranging from fundamentalism to LGBTQ+ rights. He also co-authored “Sobre el cielo y la tierra,” which translates in English to “On Heaven and Earth,” with the pope, a literary guide to embodying religious faith in the 21st century. 

Georgetown University | Rabbi Abraham Skorka, who is a longtime friend of Pope Francis, returned to Georgetown’s Center for Jewish Civilization this fall as a senior research fellow.

Skorka said his primary focus will be to model methodologies for effective interreligious exchange, and that he hopes students will be able to gather valuable insights from his first-hand experiences connecting Catholic and Jewish faith communities.

According to Skorka, he hopes his course in the second semester will teach students to understand how the Jewish tradition recognizes human existence. 

“The subject that I have chosen to teach in the second semester is that of the Jewish conception of the human being,” Skorka wrote to The Hoya. “What am I as a person? What does the human being mean? These are the questions that overwhelm us during our existence. The idea of ​​the course is to analyze how Jewish sources answer these questions.”

Skorka previously taught Jewish studies at St. Joseph’s University and Gratz College. According to Skorka, his teaching philosophy, which he developed through direct interactions with students at these institutions and in Buenos Aires, approaches scholastic inquiry with the same empathy he practices in his everyday life.

“A community spiritual leader cannot become an administrator of his community,” Skorka wrote. “You must recreate your spirituality day after day, and for this you must study in the sacred texts, in the writings of the wise men of the past, meditate on them and recreate the message. 

President John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95) said he is confident Skorka will make a significant impact on and off campus, informed by his extensive expertise.

“We have cherished our past experiences with Rabbi Skorka, and we are truly honored to welcome him into this new role in our community and for the continued opportunity we have to engage his insights as a scholar of Jewish Studies and his perspectives as an international leader in interfaith engagement,” DeGioia wrote to The Hoya.

CJC Director and Professor Bruce Hoffman, who has collaborated with Skorka on Georgetown Jewish Life programming initiatives in the past, said he is excited about the direct engagement Skorka will have with students.

“Rabbi Skorka is blessed to live very close to campus and to have offices both off-campus and in the CJC’s ICC space,” Hoffman wrote to The Hoya. “He is always eager to interact with students, and has deep knowledge of the Talmud. We knew how much richness of knowledge he has to offer our students and the CJC had been working actively with the President’s Office to finally bring him to campus on a full-time basis.”

According to Adjunct Professor Fr. Dennis McManus, S.J., who previously taught a course with Skorka during the 2021 spring semester, Skorka’s kindness and sincerity, rather than his extensive accomplishments, define him as an educator. 

“The most obvious and first thing that you take from him is what a warm human being he is,” McManus said to The Hoya. “You may or may not be aware that he is a rabbi, ethicist, or a Talmudist, but from the first contact you have, he immediately treats you with such respect, such dignity.”

Rabbi Skorka said he hopes members of the Georgetown community from different walks of life will congregate to spark conversations.

“Without the presence of sincere, profound dialogue between individuals and with God, life becomes unbearable,” Skorka wrote. “Dialogue must be the tool for all human relationships, because in its absence only violence prevails.”

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