We began the seminar with a general discussion about Jewish values. We developed together an outline of where Jewish and Chinese traditions seemed to converge and where each culture seemed to hold unique values not replicated in the other. These conversations and comparisons were revisited near the end of the course when we explored various conceptualizations of what it meant to be a good person and how to develop ones own goodness. Not surprisingly, Hillel , representing rabbinic tradition, and Confucious seemed to understand one another but Chairman Mao spoke a different language all together. It seems to me that both teachers and participants agree that the course achieved its most obvious goals.
Participants have a wealth of new knowledge .
They have already begun the process of thinking about how to make Judaism a more integral part of their presentation of world, ancient near eastern, and western cvilizations. They also have a more empathetic and deeper understanding of the nature of Jewish living and culture. I believe this will enable them to present Judaism more accurately and more engagingly when they talk about the subject. There were numerous times during the seminar when the importance and enormity of what we were undertaking would become almost overwhelming. I will share a few such moments by way of concluding this report.