This Week on Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly
Following is a brief outline of the stories Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly will be covering this week. Every Friday evening, the transcript and streaming video of each report will available on our Web site.SPECIAL NOTE: Because Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly may be pre-empted in several markets due to special PBS Pledge programming scheduled through December 7, two of the following reports are being rebroadcast.
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Religious Tensions in India
Islamist militants are claiming responsibility for the November terrorist attacks in Mumbai, which killed nearly 200 people and wounded 300. In the aftermath of the violence, many analysts are predicting a backlash against India's minority Muslims by radical Hindu groups, increasing long-standing religious tensions. The situation is also raising new concerns about the stability of this multi-faith democracy.
Kim Lawton is joined by Timothy Shah from the Council on Foreign Relations for a studio discussion about the central role religion played in the Mumbai attacks and the potential political-religious consequences. (New)
The Growth of Chabad
In the U.S. and around the world, Chabad Houses serve as a home-away-from-home for many Jews. Usually run by young couples — more than 4,000 worldwide — these centers offer a welcoming place for Jewish visitors where they can celebrate Hanukkah, Passover or weekly Shabbat dinners. Now, with the recent death of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka who were killed last week during massive terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, a branch of Hasidism rooted in 1700 Eastern Europe, is garnering renewed attention. Characterized by strict observance of ritual law, joyous worship and deep mysticism, Hasidism was almost extinguished during the Holocaust but was revived by survivors who came to the U.S. Of the several Hasidic groups who exist today, the Chabad movement is by far the most visible.
In this report updated from its original broadcast in 2002, Kim Lawton talks with emissaries of this movement, including Rabbi Shea Harlig with the Chabad of Southern Las Vegas and Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky from the Lubavitch World headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, about their mission to bring Jews back to their sacred traditions. “We should usher in this age when godliness will be revealed to all, and the struggle between good and evil will cease,” explains Rabbi Harlig. “So we look at our goal of bringing Jews closer so that they should fulfill the mission as one of the ways we could hasten . . . the coming of the Messiah.” (Rebroadcast from March 22, 2008)
Indiana Doctor in Kenya
From its location on the edge of the city, the North United Methodist Church in Indianapolis boasts a number of global ties, but none are closer than those to Kenya. In the late 1980s, Dr. Joseph Mamlin, a member of the congregation, first visited the African nation to set up an exchange program between his employer, Indiana University School of Medicine, and a medical school in the Western Kenyan City of Eldoret. He returned a decade later to a worsening AIDS problem and remained to set up a small HIV clinic. Today, his efforts to provide medical care to AIDS patients have expanded to 18 regional centers throughout Kenya, offering treatment to over 60,000 patients.
Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on Dr. Mamlin’s work on behalf of the AIDS epidemic in Kenya and looks at its impact on the spiritual growth of Indianapolis worship communities a continent away. According to Pastor Kevin Armstrong of the North United Methodist Church, “For us to be able to find some way to be alongside them in their journey not only was a way for us to strengthen our friendship but also for us to deepen our own faith.” (Rebroadcast from June 13, 2008)
Islamist militants are claiming responsibility for the November terrorist attacks in Mumbai, which killed nearly 200 people and wounded 300. In the aftermath of the violence, many analysts are predicting a backlash against India's minority Muslims by radical Hindu groups, increasing long-standing religious tensions. The situation is also raising new concerns about the stability of this multi-faith democracy.
Kim Lawton is joined by Timothy Shah from the Council on Foreign Relations for a studio discussion about the central role religion played in the Mumbai attacks and the potential political-religious consequences. (New)
The Growth of Chabad
In the U.S. and around the world, Chabad Houses serve as a home-away-from-home for many Jews. Usually run by young couples — more than 4,000 worldwide — these centers offer a welcoming place for Jewish visitors where they can celebrate Hanukkah, Passover or weekly Shabbat dinners. Now, with the recent death of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka who were killed last week during massive terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, a branch of Hasidism rooted in 1700 Eastern Europe, is garnering renewed attention. Characterized by strict observance of ritual law, joyous worship and deep mysticism, Hasidism was almost extinguished during the Holocaust but was revived by survivors who came to the U.S. Of the several Hasidic groups who exist today, the Chabad movement is by far the most visible.
In this report updated from its original broadcast in 2002, Kim Lawton talks with emissaries of this movement, including Rabbi Shea Harlig with the Chabad of Southern Las Vegas and Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky from the Lubavitch World headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, about their mission to bring Jews back to their sacred traditions. “We should usher in this age when godliness will be revealed to all, and the struggle between good and evil will cease,” explains Rabbi Harlig. “So we look at our goal of bringing Jews closer so that they should fulfill the mission as one of the ways we could hasten . . . the coming of the Messiah.” (Rebroadcast from March 22, 2008)
Indiana Doctor in Kenya
From its location on the edge of the city, the North United Methodist Church in Indianapolis boasts a number of global ties, but none are closer than those to Kenya. In the late 1980s, Dr. Joseph Mamlin, a member of the congregation, first visited the African nation to set up an exchange program between his employer, Indiana University School of Medicine, and a medical school in the Western Kenyan City of Eldoret. He returned a decade later to a worsening AIDS problem and remained to set up a small HIV clinic. Today, his efforts to provide medical care to AIDS patients have expanded to 18 regional centers throughout Kenya, offering treatment to over 60,000 patients.
Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on Dr. Mamlin’s work on behalf of the AIDS epidemic in Kenya and looks at its impact on the spiritual growth of Indianapolis worship communities a continent away. According to Pastor Kevin Armstrong of the North United Methodist Church, “For us to be able to find some way to be alongside them in their journey not only was a way for us to strengthen our friendship but also for us to deepen our own faith.” (Rebroadcast from June 13, 2008)
ONLY ONLINE
Religion in Mumbai
Read Web-only analysis and commentary on religious violence and the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Religious Violence in India
Muslim-Hindu conflict was the subject of a 2002 e-interview with Ainslee Embree and Timothy Shah. Revisit their remarks.
Religion's Role in Kenya
Read or watch a recent Web-exclusive interview with Oliver Kisaka, a Quaker minister and vice-president of the National Council of Churches of Kenya.
Read Web-only analysis and commentary on religious violence and the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Religious Violence in India
Muslim-Hindu conflict was the subject of a 2002 e-interview with Ainslee Embree and Timothy Shah. Revisit their remarks.
Religion's Role in Kenya
Read or watch a recent Web-exclusive interview with Oliver Kisaka, a Quaker minister and vice-president of the National Council of Churches of Kenya.
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