Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning
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John C. Merkle, Ph.D.
DirectorJohn Merkle is professor in the department of theology at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. After serving for 13 years as an associate director of the Jay Phillips Center, in 2009 he became the director. Deeply involved in Christian-Jewish dialogue for more than three decades, he has been chair of the Christian Scholars Group on Christian-Jewish Relations, a national organization of Christian scholars engaged in the study of Judaism and of Christianity in relation to Judaism, and a co-editor of Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations, the electronic journal of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations. Along with dozens of published articles and reviews, he has written and edited four books, including Faith Transformed: Christian Encounters with Jews and Judaism (2003) and Approaching God: The Way of Abraham Joshua Heschel (2009), both published by Liturgical Press.
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Hans S. Gustafson
Assistant DirectorHans Gustafson joined the Jay Phillips Center as the assistant director in June 2011. He has served as an adjunct faculty member for the department of theology at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. He holds master degrees in both theology and philosophy and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in religion at Claremont Graduate University. A Twin Cities native, Hans is passionate about promoting interfaith collaboration and solidarity among students and others served by the Jay Phillips Center. His scholarly work reflects a commitment to ecumenical and interreligious learning, particularly in the fields of spirituality and the philosophy of religion. He has published on the interreligious spirituality of Bede Griffiths in The Way (2008), and has a forthcoming article on sacramentality in Aquinas and its implications for spirituality in The Heythrop Journal (2011).
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Lois E Dament
Administrative AssistantLois Dament has worked with faculty, staff, and students in a variety of academic and administrative departments at the University of St. Thomas since 1984. She has been co-coordinator of the Undergraduate Communication Research Conference since 2004, the administrative assistant for the Muslim-Christian Dialogue Center and the American culture and difference department since 2007, and for the justice and peace studies program since 2009. Combining a broad range of office management skills with a deep-seated interest in interfaith and intercultural relationships, Lois began working for the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning in September 2010. Among her many responsibilities for the center, she helps to host the center’s main events, making sure guests feel welcomed and that the events run smoothly. A long-time resident of the Twin Cities, Lois holds B.A .and M.A. degrees in English from the University of St. Thomas.
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Rabbi Amy Eilberg
Interfaith Conversations Special ConsultantFrom 2007 to 2011 Rabbi Amy Eilberg served as coordinator of the Jay Phillips Center’s Interfaith Conversations Project, fostering interfaith learning and friendship among Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Twin Cities area. Now that that special project has reached its end, she continues with the center as special consultant for programs designed to promote interfaith conversations among Twin Cities religious leaders. In 1985 Rabbi Eilberg became the first women ordained as a rabbi in the Conservative Movement, and soon after that she found her vocation in the work of healing. A co-founder of the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, where she directed the Jewish Hospice Care Program, and a founding co-director of the Yedidya Center for Jewish Spiritual Direction, she is nationally known as a leader of the Jewish healing movement and in the field of Jewish spiritual direction. Amy is also deeply engaged in the work of peace and reconciliation, particularly in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, lecturing and writing on this topic as well as on the art of compassionate listening, healing and spiritual direction.
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David Jordan Harris
Interfaith Arts Special ConsultantMusician and writer David Jordan Harris brings a wealth of experience to the Jay Phillips Center, drawing together cultural communities through theater, music, and dance in workshops for students and adults, innovative artistic collaborations, and artist salons. He is artistic director and co-founder of the performance ensemble Voices of Sepharad and executive director of Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council. His performance and study of Judeo-Spanish music has taken him to every region of the United States and to Canada, France, Spain, Poland, Bosnia, Morocco, Israel, Greece, and Turkey. Harris is the recipient of numerous grants and fellowships supporting his work in cross-cultural and interfaith dialogue through the arts. Funders have included the Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation, the Luce Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the United Arts, and the St. Paul Companies. A graduate of the University of Chicago where he received both special and general honors in civilizational studies, he has co-authored four plays and composed music for the recently released film Romania 1941/Rwanda 1994.
651-227-2583dh@visi.com
