The Ithacan

Accuracy • Independence • Integrity

Members of the Ithaca community gathered in freezing temperatures Jan. 22 at The Commons in solidarity as a response to a hostage standoff at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.

On this episode, Sobeida speaks with Hierald Osorto, the Ithaca College Director of Religious and Spiritual Life and an Ithaca College junior, Luis Valderrama.

The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at IC hosted an interfaith gathering April 30 to honor victims of the Sri Lanka attacks and San Diego synagogue shooting.

Until each side acknowledges the other’s narrative and rights and ties to the same land, this conversation is going nowhere.

Cantor Abbe Lyons, Jewish chaplain at Muller Chapel, recently wrote a commentary debunking several myths about homelessness and called for people to think compassionately about it.

I hope that any member of the Ithaca College community will feel welcome to join me for these important programs which showcase diverse and often underrepresented histories.

“For most of my students, their faith is the most important thing about them,” James Touchton, protestant chaplain and current Interfaith Council advisor, said.

Haueter said that while the Hillel sector of the college campus cannot meet with certain organizations, Hillel encourages productive, open dialogue.

In describing the religion, Belkin said paganism is an umbrella term for a number of different earth-based systems of belief.

Author Marla Brettschneider explored the question “What does it mean to be Jewish?” when speaking to Ithaca College students and faculty on Jewish communities in Africa.

The point that I want to make is this: no matter what your spiritual beliefs are, there will be people who put you into certain groupings. This is a result of the extremists in religion who have created an image that is unfairly placed on all who have the same or similar beliefs. Our country prides itself on welcoming diversity, yet religion causes so much conflict and so many hard feelings.