Pluralism, progress, problems: 50 years of interfaith chaplaincy

At the intersection of Scripps College, Pomona College and Claremont McKenna College stands the McAlister Center for Religious Activities (also called the McAlister Center for Spiritual Life), an institution many students pass every day. However, according to former Protestant Chaplain Naima Lett, 75% of the community she encountered during the 2021-2022 school year was unaware of the center’s chaplain services, which provide counseling for all students and faculty of the Claremont colleges regardless of religion. Even less known is the chaplaincy system’s fifty years of complex history, representing both the cutting edge of inclusive college campuses and archaic systems no longer relevant to student needs.

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Interfaith challah-making event braids together Muslim and Jewish students

There are few feelings as universal as ripping into freshly baked bread, warm and fluffy right out of the oven. On the evening of Feb. 23, two dozen Muslim and Jewish students savored that pleasure together at an interfaith challah-making event co-hosted by Nishmat and the 7C Muslim Student Association (MSA). Nishmat and MSA organizers emphasized the importance of Jewish-Muslim solidarity amidst Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza.

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5C students mourn, express fear over violence in Gaza and Israel

In Claremont, Jewish students and organizations centered around Judaism on campus, as well as Palestinian students and groups supporting the Free Palestine movement, have expressed pain as they mourn those who have been killed by Hamas and the IDF. These groups have organized teach-ins, marches and vigils throughout the past week to express solidarity in painful times, even as tensions grow.

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