On May 27–28, 2025 VST will host Compassion: Mutual Care for Troubled Times. Kicking off with a free, public keynote lecture on May 27 at 7pm, this conference is all about engaging with what the spirituality and practice of compassion should look like in our time. There will be presentations from scholars and activists, time for conversations with like-hearted individuals, and an abundance of inter-religious community.
Featured presenters include representatives from Roots/Shorashim/Judur Palestinian-Israeli Network, Marliyn Turkovich (Executive Director of Charter for Compassion), the Interfaith Amigos, and Reggae musicians and filmmakers Pato Banton and Antoinette Rootsdawtah. Dr. Terri Elizabeth Givens, Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia and the author of Radical Empathy: Finding a Path to Bridging Racial Divides, will give the keynote lecture. The conference also includes shorter presentations, workshops, and dialogues led by international and local scholars and activists.
All these presentations will be available both in-person and online! You can find the full details here: https://vst.edu/inter-religious-studies-program/conference/
Registration for the conference is $190—but there is a student discount of $100. There is also some funding available if cost is a barrier. Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan (the conference administrator) can be contacted for more information on financial aid (LDKaplan@vst.edu).