Rabbi Daniel Brenner

Last night I had the opportunity to host Sister Mary Boys, Father James Loughran, Dr. Alan Mittleman, and Rabbi Ron Kronish for a discussion of Nostra Aetate – the groundbreaking 1965 Vatican II document that recognized religious traditions outside of the Catholic Church. While Boys and Kronish spoke of the experiences in inter-religious dialogue that Nostra Aetate spawned, Mittleman and Loughran both pointed to ways in which Catholics and Jews are growing farther apart. Loughran hinted that the charge against…

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I just recieved a wonderful invitation from the Ahmadiyya Islamic community (aPunjabi branch of Islam) to speak at an inter-faith conference on Salvation. While inter-faith conferences are nothing new – it is still very rare to see a Muslim community in America serve as the cheif organizers. For those who are interested, the event is at the Wellesley Inn, 38 Two Bridges Road Fairfield NJ on Sunday November 20th 2pm-5:30 pm. Vegetarian refreshments will be served!

My piece on Heschel and the Dalai Lama was just picked up by The Buddhist Channel — a Malaysian web-zine. It runs with a lovely photo of His Holiness.

It is good to know that the scribbles I am making on this laptop are reaching screens far and wide. First off, I got a very nice email from Ambassador Reda Mansour, Bureau For Jewish & Inter-Religious Affairs, Israel Ministry Of Foreign Affairs – who read my Dalai Lama piece. He’s doing some incredibly challenging work — reaching out to Muslim communities in Europe. He also happens to be a poet. Then I got a Google Alert that someone named…

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Stains Stains, sins, impurities,He searches for a liturgy with deep scrubbing action,All-purpose cleaner,Not for use on delicates. But everything is delicate,A broken zipper over the heart exposesa balled-up handkerchief soiled with blood, tears, feces, gin spilled from the flask his mother kept in her denim purse after the great unraveling.Residue.Memory plays tricks,But residue retains the stench of it all. You’d think that the smell would go away as the years stretch on,the fir trees grow tall as the house, the…

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Beliefnet is running one of my Rosh Hashannah reflections — from 5763 — on its High Holiday special….check out: http://www.beliefnet.com/features/jewishholidays/index.html Nice to see that these things stay fresh.

This Unit Has Been Refurbished Teshuvah does not work. Beat your heart, confess your sins, reflect on your life for ten days straight if you want – but the statistics are convincing –people do not make significant changes to their personality after the age of thirty.Your four-valve sack of nature/nurture hardened long ago.You got what you got.Deal, cope, manage.And the distance between you and everyone else grows two kilometers each year. Self reflection?Stare deeply into an empty Pringles can.Personal transformation?Change…

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I got word today that the book from the Brussels conference I participated in is now available. I contributed a little piece. I’m sending off for my copy today. www.hommesdeparole.org

I had a wonderful meeting today with Geshele Sopa, the Tibet Monk who has been charged to carry out the Dalai Lama’s work in the United States. He was a professor at my Alma Mater the Univ. of Wisconsin. This afternoon I’ll be with the Dalai Lama and the other Peace Councilors at Riverside Church. For more, see: http://www.deerparkcenter.org/NewFiles/sopa.html

Few times in my life has an e-mail forced me to stop in my tracks and rejoice over the crazy/beautiful wired world we live in. This one did just that: Dear Rabbi Daniel S. Brenner With a double reason I get in contact to you: Firstly, we share almost the same name. Secondly, we share some interest in spirituality and health. Your work as director of the Multifaith Educational Center is very impressing. I wish you God’s blessings to all…

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