7:00 – 9:00 PM
In conjunction with our co-production of Fiddler on the Roof, the Alliance and The Atlanta Opera will host a special presentation by award-winning educator and sought-after speaker Brendan Murphy from Bearing Witness Institute.
Join us for Brendan's presentation "From Ancient Prejudices to Modern Challenges: Exploring Historical and Contemporary Relations Between Christian and Jewish Communities," on our Coca-Cola Stage.
Through engaging narratives, historical accounts, and thought-provoking analysis, attendees will gain a profound understanding of the underlying ideologies and stereotypes that have fueled antisemitism as well as contemporary efforts to set Jewish and Christian communities on a new path of genuine friendship. Endorsed by Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant leaders, this lecture series will address the importance of education, dialogue, and advocacy in combating antisemitism and fostering tolerance and understanding among diverse communities.
This presentation is free to attend for Fiddler on the Roof ticket holders – learn more about the production and get show tickets.
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Brendan MurphyAn award-winning educator and sought-after presenter, Brendan Murphy is the founding director of the Bearing Witness Institute for Interreligious and Ecumenical Dialogue at Marist School. He has taught history at Marist since 1994 and continually demonstrates for his students and colleagues a strong commitment to fostering understanding and collaboration among diverse communities of faith. Murphy is actively involved in developing educational initiatives and created a compelling “History and the Holocaust” seminar at Marist that is complemented by co-curricular international field trips to sites in Europe that were significant during the Holocaust. Murphy is a thought leader on religious solidarity and an advocate for combating hate and prejudice by drawing communities together. His contributions to education and interfaith dialogue are widely recognized and embody Pope Francis’ call to use discourse as a “privileged path to the growth of fraternity and peace in our world”. Murphy has received numerous awards, including the Outstanding Educator Award from the Anne Frank Center in New York, the ADL’s Abe Goldstein Human Relations and Unsung Hero Awards. His dedication to excellence in teaching has been acknowledged at Marist School with awards such as the Goizueta Chair of Excellence Award, the Faber-McKinley-Stadler Award, and the Frank P. Hagan Memorial Coach’s Award and, on the state level, with the Distinguished Service Award from the Georgia Independent School Association and twice with the Georgia Outstanding Educator of the Year Award from the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust. He also has been recognized as Teacher of the Year by the University of Notre Dame. Additionally, Murphy has participated in prestigious programs such as the Museum Teacher Fellowship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. and the Lerner Fellowship at the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous in New York City. Recently, he was selected to participate in Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2025. In addition to serving as director of the Bearing Witness Institute and teaching his Holocaust seminar, Murphy moderates a Peace by Piece group, which brings students from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities together to foster friendship and understanding. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Murphy earned a bachelor’s degree in education and history from the University of Notre Dame and holds a master’s degree in theology from Spring Hill College. |
