“Come here,” Providence College to Jewish students. Noting its history, extends transfer time.

Application Pathway for Transfer Students: Applications Due June 7th, 2024

From Arthur Urbano, Professor, Theology Department; Chair, Jewish-Catholic Theological Exchange Committee; Vice President, International Catacomb Society – Providence College:

Over the past several weeks, we have seen numerous protests against the war in Gaza at college campuses across the country. Some of these, unfortunately, have engaged in antisemitic words and actions. For Catholics, antisemitism is “inadmissible” (Pope Pius XI), and has been condemned as sinful by Church documents and papal statements.

At Providence College we have had a history of positive engagement with the local Jewish community going back to the earliest years of the College in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. When Jews faced the obstacles of quotas and discrimination at other institutions, the Dominicans of Providence College opened its gates and welcomed them.

As members of the PC community, they took part in sports and other student groups, were editors of the student newspaper, and even president of the student council. To learn more about this history, you can watch the documentary Sons of Providence: The Jewish History of Providence College, 1917-1965, produced by myself and Dr. Jennifer Illuzzi (History and Classics) with the help of a number of PC undergraduate and graduate assistants. Hear the story from lips of several Jewish alumni, here:

In view of this, PC has extended its transfer deadline to June 7, 2024. The College especially welcomes Jewish students who wish to transfer from other institutions. Our committee is committed to offering a welcome and practical support, with the help of our community partners. See the announcement for more details.

Today at Providence College

Exams and grading are done at Providence College as the campus community now prepares for Commencement celebrations. It has been an active year for us on the JCTE committee. Since last summer we hosted four events and the College inaugurated the Scholar-in-Residence in Jewish Studies and Jewish-Christian Relations position.

Dr. Benny Bar-Lavi has made significant contributions not only to the PC community but also to the broader Providence community through his academic expertise, enthusiastic pedagogy, and commitment to Jewish-Christian dialogue. I had the great pleasure of co-teaching two classes with him this year—one on the history and theology of Jewish-Christian relations, the other on “Judaism as an idea” in Western Civilization. I am happy to say that along with our students, I also have learned a great deal from Dr. Bar-Lavi this year! Dr. Bar-Lavi will be with us again next year and we are already busy planning! 

If you missed the recent program “Mutual Representations: Judaism and Christianity in Late Antiquity,” with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier and Dr. Jae Han, it is now up on our website, as are the recordings for our other events this past academic year, including Dr. Bar-Lavi’s summer and fall lectures. 

This summer we will be hosting another virtual webinar, featuring two scholars who have made pioneering contributions to Jewish-Christian dialogue, Rabbi Eugene Korn, and Dr. Mary Boys, SNJM. They will discuss Rabbi Korn’s recent book, Israel and the Nations: The Bible, the Rabbis, and Jewish-Gentile Relations (Academic Studies Press, 2023). More details soon. 

As Christians and Jews count the days until Pentecost and Shavuot, sacred feasts that in many ways define our respective origins as religious communities—from the top of Mount Sinai and in the upper room in Jerusalem, let us pray for peace, the release of the Israeli hostages, and an end to the devastation of war.