Highlighting: “God Shall Be One” by Yakov Nagen, Sarel Rosenblatt, Assaf Malach. Maggid Books. 2024. English. Hardcover. 340 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1592646913.
(Courtesy of Ohr Torah Stone) Ohr Torah Stone’s Ohr Torah Interfaith Center has announced the release of “God Shall Be One,” a groundbreaking work on interfaith relations rooted in Jewish theology and prophetic vision. Written by leading scholars Rabbi Dr. Yakov Nagen, Rabbi Sarel Rosenblatt and Dr. Assaf Malach, the book presents a paradigm shift in Judaism’s relationship with other faiths, emphasizing mutual respect, cooperation and partnership in building a more unified world.
Published by Koren, “God Shall Be One” combines insights from Jewish sages and prophets with modern perspectives, exploring how different faith traditions can collaborate to reveal a shared divine purpose. Drawing from medieval and contemporary Jewish thought, the book challenges historical isolationist interpretations and offers a theological framework for interfaith dialogue.
The authors bring unique expertise to this effort. Rabbi Dr. Nagen, director of Ohr Torah Interfaith Center, is a noted author on interfaith relations and Jewish spirituality. Rabbi Rosenblatt serves as rosh yeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone’s Robert M. Beren Machanaim Hesder Yeshiva and the Dr. Monique and Mordecai Katz Fellow at its Beit Midrash for Judaism and Humanity. Dr. Malach, a scholar of political philosophy, heads the Jewish Statesmanship Center and is a professor of political philosophy at Shalem College. Together, they present a compelling vision for advancing interfaith understanding.
“In a world still reeling from the events of October 7, where religious tensions and antisemitism threaten to divide humanity, the need for voices of interfaith understanding and collaboration has never been greater,” said Rabbi Dr. Nagen, director of Ohr Torah Stone’s Blickle Institute for Interfaith Dialogue and Beit Midrash for Judaism and Humanity. “This book offers a path to understanding—not by erasing our differences but by uncovering shared values that unite us across faiths.”
“This volume addresses the subject of healing interfaith relations, sharing ancient and contemporary religious sources that speak to the opportunities and challenges of building bridges between the Jewish people and those of other faiths,” writes Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, president and rosh yeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone, in the preface of the book. “If we fail to acknowledge and appreciate others’ faith, we also fail to recognize their humanity. This, regrettably, has been the painful fate of the Jewish people for centuries; we must learn from our own history not to do the same to others.”
