Professor Ben Mollov of Bar Ilan University spoke at two Dialogue Institute events in late February, addressing area faculty, students and community leaders on the theme of Religious Diplomacy.

Prof. Mollov described a unique project he initiated under Bar Ilan’s Program in Conflict Resolution, bringing together Arab and Jewish university students for ongoing interreligious dialogue.He set this project in the context of the historical and cultural roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict, pointing to theoretical and practical possibilities for the role of religion in diplomatic efforts in that context.

Raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in Queens, New York, Mollov emigrated to Israel in the late 1970s. He serves on the Faculty of the Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences at Bar-Ilan University, Israel, and directs the Project for the Study of Religion, Culture and Peace.

The Dialogue Institute, through its Sr. Director for Global Education, Racelle Weiman, is currently developing plans with Prof. Mollov for a conference on Religious Diplomacy for diplomatic officers in Israel in 2011.