Dr. Yehezkel Landau, a dual Israeli-American citizen, is an interfaith educator, leadership trainer, author, and consultant working to improve Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations and promote Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding for over 40 years.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Hartford Seminary.
Speaking at Belfast conference
Dr. Landau lectures internationally on interfaith relations and Middle East peace issues, and he participates in panel discussions on interfaith education, Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations, and grassroots peacebuilding in Israel/Palestine. His public speaking engagements in the U.S. have included presentations at the Chautauqua Institute, Vassar College, Drew University, Sacred Heart School of Theology, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, the Our Muslim Neighbor conference in Nashville, the University of California in San Bernardino, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Bet Torah Synagogue in Mt. Kisco, NY, where he was a Scholar-in-Residence over a weekend. In Princeton, NJ, a weekend visit included two teaching sessions on Shabbat at the Jewish Center, a sermon preached at Trinity Episcopal Church on Sunday morning, and then a joint gathering of both congregations on Sunday evening. He is often invited to give lectures or preach sermons at synagogues, churches, and mosques. In September, 2016, Dr. Landau delivered a presentation and moderated a panel at the Global Peace Leadership Conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
In all three of the settings in which you engaged with students, you sparked meaningful reflection and helped us face the profound challenges presented by the topics you addressed: anti-Semitism and being Jewish at Swarthmore, the role of religion and faith in social justice work, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Your relationship with Imam [Yahya] Hendi also added a great deal to the learning experience of your audience. The way you both modeled respectful, fruitful disagreement provided us all with a much-needed example. – Rabbi Michael Ramberg, Jewish Student Advisor, Swarthmore College
Building Abrahamic Partnerships at Hartford Seminary
From 2002 to 2016, Dr. Landau was a professor of Jewish tradition and interfaith relations at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, where he held the Chair in Abrahamic Partnerships and directed the BUILDING ABRAHAMIC PARTNERSHIPS training program for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. In the 2016-17 academic year, he was an Adjunct Instructor at the Boston University School of Theology, teaching a week-long course on “Skills, Tools, and Sensitivities for Interfaith Leadership” and a one-credit course on “Judaism, Islam, and Peacemaking” with Salma Kazmi.
In the 2017-18 academic year, Dr. Landau co-facilitated with Melina Rudman a monthly workshop series on “Meaning, Purpose, and Vocation” for faculty members and administrators at Bay Path University. In 2018 and 2020, he taught an online course for Doctor of Ministry students at Union Theological Seminary on “Interreligious and Intercultural Engagement.” And in June, 2018, he taught a week-long seminar on “Spiritual Resources for Interfaith Peacemaking” as part of the annual Maryknoll Mission Institute in Ossining, NY.
In 2019, Dr. Landau taught an online course on interfaith leadership skills and resources for Hartford Seminary and an online course for Merrimack College on “Spirituality in a Religiously Diverse World”.
In earlier years he taught courses at Drew University, Connecticut College, Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry, the Maryknoll Institute for Justice and Peace, Bard College, and Tufts University. In Israel he delivered lectures and taught courses at several Christian institutions, including the Tantur Ecumenical Institute, St. George’s College, the Sisters of Sion International Program at Ecce Homo, the Swedish Theological Institute, and Nes Ammim Village in the Galilee.
From June 4-8, 2018, I had the privilege of attending a Maryknoll Mission Institute on interfaith peacemaking led by Dr. Yehezkel Landau. Dr. Landau proved to be an extraordinarily knowledgeable teacher, not just on Judaism and Hebrew Scripture, but also on Christianity and Islam. He was commendably open to questions and comments on a broad range of topics relevant to this seminar, including the very controversial issue of Israel and Palestine. He was also able to share a vast array of resources on peacemaking from books to videos that spanned the globe, including Nigeria, Australia, Northern Ireland, Liberia, the Middle East, and the United States. Participating in this seminar with Dr. Landau was an enriching experience. I recommend a similar opportunity to all who want to grow in their own pursuit of interfaith peacemaking. -Rosemarie Pace, Director Pax Christi of Metro New York
Conducting exercise in Building Abrahamic Partnerships
Speaking at Temple Beth-El, Poughkeepsie, NY
As a Senior Associate of the Center for the Study of Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations at Merrimack College, Dr. Landau has provided sound advice and wise counsel for our interfaith and intercultural work. It is a continuing blessing for us to draw on his long experience and proven expertise for our initiatives at the local, national, and international levels. – Joseph T. Kelley, Ph.D., Merrimack College
Yehezkel helped our Temple Beth Israel in Willimantic, CT, embark on an interfaith journey three years ago, and it is going strong with many community partners. – Jeanne Morascini
In a January 2024 phone call, Dr. Landau listened to my struggle to organize a “fishbowl” conversation on the Israel-Hamas war for local Christian, Muslim, and Jewish clergy. In 45 minutes, he provided a plan, purpose, and process. The raw and transparent sharing of views that I then facilitated brought us closer together, understanding better each other’s heartache and demonstrating compassion as we listened to our different stories. I am grateful to Dr. Landau for his help in organizing this positive interfaith encounter. – Rev. Dr. Campbell B. Singleton, III, Senior Pastor, Union Baptist Church, Montclair, NJ
Dr. Landau in Manhattan with two Nigerian colleagues from the Tanenbaum Peacemakers in Action Network, Pastor James Movel Wuye and Imam Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa
Our journey onto the global stage started when we met Yehezkel in 2004 at a Tanenbaum Peacemakers in Action retreat in Amman, Jordan, where he invited us to participate in a week-long course on the Abrahamic faiths that he directed at Hartford Seminary. In Hartford we met Yehezkel’s friend, Bryan Hamlin of Initiatives of Change (IofC), who invited us to an international, interfaith conference in Caux, Switzerland. Today our story is known throughout the world, largely thanks to the IofC-produced film, “The Imam and the Pastor.” In December of 2010, ahead of national elections in Nigeria that were threatened by violence, Yehezkel and two other Tanenbaum Peacemakers, Fr. Ivo Markovic and Azhar Hussein, spent a week with us in Abuja, Jos, and Kaduna. Yehezkel added a valuable Jewish and interfaith perspective in meetings with Nigerian Christian and Muslim leaders and in national television interviews. He is our Jewish spiritual brother, a cherished friend, and a dedicated peacebuilder.– Pastor James Movel Wuye and Imam Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa, co-directors of the Inter-Faith Mediation Center in Kaduna, Nigeria
