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 (since renamed Hartford International University for Religion and Peace), 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
Dr. Landau has years of experience conducting seminars, workshops, and retreats for interfaith leaders and activists. At Hartford Seminary, his annual Building Abrahamic Partnerships (BAP) course brought Jews, Christians, and Muslims together for a week-long training that combined informative presentations, trust-building exercises, and devotional practices. In 2007, 2008, and 2009, he co-facilitated an advanced capacity-building training for veterans of the BAP course. He has facilitated similar trainings for groups outside the academy, including Canadian Military Chaplains, the Spiritual Life Center, the Fetzer Institute, the clergy leadership of Minneapolis, and a group of international religious leaders convened by the U.S. State Department.
Speaking at Temple Beth-El, Poughkeepsie, NY
Dr. Landau offers consulting services in the areas of Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations, Jewish engagement of Muslims and Christians, interfaith leadership development, how to conduct conversations on Israel/Palestine, the theory and practice of religious peacemaking, and related issues. His expertise has been sought by educational institutions, congregations, and community groups interested in pursuing interfaith initiatives. In recent years he has been a Senior Associate at the Center for the Study of Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations at Merrimack College; a member of the Advisory Council on World Religions and Spiritualities at the Fetzer Institute; a program consultant for the Drew University Center for Religion, Culture, and Conflict; a consultant to the CT and Western MA office of the National Conference for Community and Justice; a consultant to the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at Vassar College; and a member of the Peacemakers in Action leadership team at the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. He also serves on the Editorial Board of the Stimulus Foundation, a division of Paulist Press which publishes works in the area of Jewish-Christian relations, and on the Academic Advisory Board of The Foundation for Religious Literacy.
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
While in Israel, Dr. Landau served as program director of the Israel Interfaith Association from 1980 to 1982 and executive director of the Oz veShalom-Netivot Shalom religious peace movement from 1982 to 1991. From 1991 to 2003 he was co-founder and co-director of the Open House Center for Jewish-Arab Coexistence and Reconciliation in Ramle, Israel. (See LINK) Since returning to the U.S. in 2002, he served on the board of Friends of Open House/USA and has written extensively on Middle East peace issues, especially the religious dimension of Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. He authored a research report entitled HEALING THE HOLY LAND: INTERRELIGIOUS PEACEBUILDING IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE for the U.S. Institute of Peace and contributed a chapter on “Religion” to the ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK ON THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT (see Resources section). For his peacebuilding efforts in the Holy Land he was named a Peacemaker in Action by the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding in New York City. A profile of Yehezkel and his work on behalf of peace and justice appears in the book PEACEMAKERS IN ACTION: PROFILES OF RELIGION IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION, edited by David Little. With Joyce Schriebman, Dr. Landau co-authored a 20-page guide entitled HOW TO TALK TO JUST ABOUT ANYONE ABOUT ISRAEL-PALESTINE, which can be downloaded without cost at www.mybrotherfromanothermother.org With Ms. Schriebman, Dr. Landau facilitates workshops for Jewish educators and rabbis, as well as other religious leaders, on approaches and tools for conducting fruitful encounters about the Holy Land, overcoming the polarization that too often characterizes these exchanges.
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
In addition to co-authoring the guide on engaging Israel/Palestine mentioned above (see LINK), Dr. Landau has written numerous journal articles and book chapters, co-edited the book VOICES FROM JERUSALEM: JEWS AND CHRISTIANS REFLECT ON THE HOLY LAND (Paulist Press, 1992), wrote a Jewish appraisal of Pope John Paul II’s trip to Israel and Palestine for the book JOHN PAUL II IN THE HOLY LAND: IN HIS OWN WORDS (Paulist Press, 2005), and authored a U.S. Institute of Peace research report entitled HEALING THE HOLY LAND: INTERRELIGIOUS PEACEBUILDING IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE (see LINK ) His blogs have appeared on the Huffington Post Religion page, the Albany Times-Union, and the Our Muslim Neighbor Voices website. His reflection on “A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO PEACEMAKING“ is accessible here (LINK).
For Dr. Landau’s recent views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, see his two essays published by TIKKUN
Magazine:
The first is “Can Zionism Be Redeemed?” from June 2019. LINK.
The second, entitled “A Dispute for the Sake of Heaven?”, is a response to an anti-Zionist essay by
psychologist Mark Braverman from March 2021. LINK
A full c.v. presenting Dr. Landau’s educational background, employment history, publications, board memberships, and awards received can be found here.
Link to “Abrahamic Partnerships in Pursuit of Peace,” podcast of a February 2013 Interfaith Forum at Eastern Mennonite University
Link to a June 20, 2013, presentation on “Duncan Black Macdonald’s View on Jewish Thought” at Hartford Seminary.
Link to a Jewish-Muslim “Dialogue Across Difference” on Israel/Palestine with Imam Abdullah Antepli, held on November 12, 2015, at Vassar College
Link to a Muslim-Jewish dialogue entitled “On the Altar of Peace,” focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Dr. Mahan Mirza, executive director of the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion at the University of Notre Dame, held February 1, 2021
Link to a panel discussion on the religious symbolism used by the Capitol insurrectionists on January 6, 2021, sponsored by Merrimack College on February 11, 2021
Link to a presentation entitled “Lent, Easter, Passover, and Ramadan—A Jewish Perspective,” sponsored by the Duke University Chapel Adult Forum on February 28, 2021, followed by general discussion
Link to an April 7, 2022, presentation and discussion on interfaith engagement and religious peacebuilding in Israel/Palestine sponsored by Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church in Naples, FL
Link to a Jewish-Catholic dialogue on “Reconciling Irreconcilable Differences: Legal and Moral Challenges” with Prof. Kevin Ahern, hosted by Prof. Elena Procario-Foley at Iona University in New Rochelle, NY, on October 25, 2022
