News Archive

Rabbi Michael A. Signer to Start Third Annual Lecture Series

New Rochelle, NY, October 20, 2001 -Rabbi Michael A Signer, currently Abrams Professor in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, a Senior Fellow of the Medieval Institute and author of five books and more than 20 articles on a variety of issues, will speak on the topic “New Directions in Catholic-Jewish Dialogue: The Third Annual Driscoll Lecture in Jewish-Catholic Studies” on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 3 pm in Joyce Auditorium on the main campus of the college, located at 715 North Ave. in New Rochelle. Dr. Signer’s presentation is part of the John G. Driscoll Professorship in Jewish-Catholic studies hosted by the Iona School of Arts and Science. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Dr. Signer will explore the new moment in Jewish-Catholic relations marked by the September 2000 publication of Dabru Emet: A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity. Director of the Notre Dame Holocaust Project-an interdisciplinary faculty group that designs educational opportunities for students to engage in the study of the Shoah - Dr. Signer first became interested in interreligious affairs during his doctoral studies at the Center for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto where he wrote his dissertation on Andrew of St. Victor, a twelfth-century Christian Hebraist. When he arrived in Los Angeles, he participated in the Priest-Rabbi dialogue and was one of the founders of the St. John’s Major Seminar-Hebrew Union College academic exchange. Dr. Signer taught Bible courses at St. John’s Seminary where priests for the Los Angeles Archdiocese are trained.

In addition, Dr. Signer organized a series of retreats for seminary faculty from Jewish, Catholic and Protestant institutions in California. He has taught at the Institut Kirche und Judentum at Alexander von Humboldt University in Berlin and at the Catholic Theology Faculty in the University of Augsburg. In addition, he was American Jewish Committee Scholar at Catholic Institutions of Higher Education in Poland at Warsaw, Lublin, Wroclaw, and Poznan. After the initial experience in Poland, he has organized international seminars at the Center for Dialogue and Prayer in Auschwitz and the Pontifical Academy of Theology in Krakow.

The Brother John G. Driscoll Professorship in Jewish-Catholic Studies, the first endowed professorship at Iona College, was established with a $1,000,000 gift from Jack ’86H, ’93H and Susan Rudin to study and celebrate the relationship between Jewish and Catholic cultures and beliefs.

Founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Iona College is a private, co-educational institution of learning in the tradition of American Catholic higher education. Iona offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous post-graduate certificate programs.

For questions or more information please contact:
Meghan Finn
Public Relations Office
Iona College, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801
tel: 914 633-2005 fax: 914 637-2711

Back to Top