After taking JDS’s Comparative Religions course, I gained a much deeper appreciation and understanding of Christianity and Islam. Learning about how similar our values, practices and histories were broke down previous assumptions I had. This, in turn, gave me a desire to learn beyond the three Abrahamic religions and educate myself on religions that seemed even more disconnected from my daily life. It became clear that an additional comparative religions course that taught beyond the original class material was necessary.
Our current semester-long elective comparative religions curriculum gives us a deep dive into Christianity and Islam. As in-depth learning about how intertwined the three religions are is crucial for our Jewish learning, this makes sense. Additionally, while not everyone takes a comparative religions course, all freshmen take World History I and learn about the origins of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Confucianism.
While JDS provides effective religious education through our world history and comparative religions courses, it is necessary to have an additional elective on world religions.
As Jews make up 0.2% of the world population, we understand what it is like to have rampant assumptions, stereotypes and misinformation about our religion. Many antisemitic remarks are fueled by false information about Judaism itself, something that is becoming increasingly relevant in our society. This shows how understanding deeply correlates with tolerance.
In 2025, the Pew Research Center conducted a study that proved how tightly education and empathy are knit. Citizens were quizzed on their knowledge of different religions, including basic fact questions about various religious groups, as well as a “thermometer” that allowed participants to rate how warmly they feel towards a certain religion.
The study found that the more factual questions answered correctly, the higher the “thermometer” was. Participants with higher levels of education and more diverse social groups scored higher on the test, showcasing how being better informed about other religions or cultures through one’s school or social life fosters greater empathy and tolerance towards groups they are not a part of.
At JDS, we learn about different religions through history class and some Judaic courses. However, due to being a Jewish school, students are not given exposure to different religions on a daily basis.
It is highly beneficial to be in a community that shares a religion. However, it can also limit our experience with religions other than our own. Inter-religious experience is extremely important to develop a rounded view of the world.
This is why the JDS curriculum integrates the histories of other religions into our education. Learning about religions helps us draw parallels between seemingly different people and understand the values and histories we share with other groups that we do not necessarily encounter often.
Education about religions that are disconnected from Judaism has many benefits for students. As religion is deeply connected with culture, understanding global religions can also help us better understand cultures that are underrepresented in American society.
Being educated on other religions is not only interesting; it is our duty as Jews. It is a core value that everyone is created in the image of God. Therefore, making an effort to understand everyone, not just the familiar, upholds our Jewish values of inclusion and kindness.
Having a required history class that expands on how we traditionally learn and think about religion will help us understand our Judaism in another context. Education breaks down barriers and helps us see how similar different religions can be. If we want to cultivate an inclusive and empathetic environment, we must actively learn about our global religious community.
