Faithful Friends: Discovering Community and Friendship Across Religious Traditions
Families in Houston have a new way to explore the city’s diversity at the Children’s Museum Houston. Tanenbaum’s Education Program worked in close collaboration with exhibit designers to elevate inclusive engagement across the Faithful Friends exhibit. The Education team also created a customized e-learning training for museum educators who work with guests to virtually tour sacred spaces or share a conversation at a holiday table. The museum has already begun planning an expanded exhibit with more opportunities to learn about religious identity, and we’re excited to continue collaborating with our friends in Houston!
Mapping the Field of K-12 Religious Literacy Education
We are proud to share that Daniel del Nido, Assistant Director of our Education Program, and Kate E. Soules of the Religion & Education Collaborative have published “Mapping the Field of K–12 Religious Literacy Education: A Working Report” in the Spring 2025 issue of Religion & Education (Vol. 52, Nos. 1–2, pp. 32–57). The report traces how the role of religion in education has changed throughout American history. It identifies challenges and opportunities to expanding the academic study of religion in K-12 schools. It also examines how recent changes in law and politics have raised new questions about the role of religion in U.S. schools.
Advancing Religious Literacy
Teachers from across the country are invited to join the new Teaching Together Network.
This partnership between the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, The Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies, the Interfaith Center of New York, and the Religion and Education Collaborative offers a professional network for learning about and sharing practical strategies on teaching about religion in academically and constitutionally sound ways. The Network is free to join and meets online. Upcoming topics include advocating for religious literacy education and navigating education law and policy around religion. Join the Network today and use the Zoom link in your welcome email to join upcoming programs.
2025 – 2026 Trainings
Grow pedagogical insight and actionable practices with Tanenbaum!
Our professional development workshops focus on building respect for difference and inclusive practices for teaching about religion and religious identity. Our November 4, 2025, January 26, 2026, and June 4, 2026, PD sessions are free for NYC Public Schools educators! Email [email protected] to request a registration link. Educators outside NYC Public Schools can also email [email protected] to ask about bringing Tanenbaum trainings to their community.
Peace in Practice
Today’s students encounter conflict in headlines, on social media, and in their classrooms. Tanenbaum and the Parents Circle – Families Forum are partnering to help educators build skills for listening to others in interpersonal disagreements and for understanding global conflicts with empathy. Through this collaboration, students will hear the stories of bereaved Israelis and Palestinians, and educators can extend learning through a curated collection of Tanenbaum lessons. Email [email protected] to learn more.
Network of Inclusive Educators
Tanenbaum is excited to introduce the inaugural members of the 2025–2026 Network of Inclusive Educators (NIE). This cohort of K–12 educators forms a unique national professional learning community that combines training from subject-area experts with Tanenbaum’s trusted student-facing resources. The approach equips educators to support student learning in inclusive classrooms and real-world settings.
Email [email protected] to learn more and receive an application for Cohort II (launching August 2026) later this year.
Additional Tanenbaum Highlights
2026 Impact Sponsorships
Join us in helping students build the social-emotional skills that foster inclusion and respect. With your support, Tanenbaum brings practical ideas and actionable tools that teach respect for religious difference to classrooms nationwide. Our 2026 Impact Sponsors receive meaningful recognition and special opportunities to engage with program content. For more information or to become a sponsor, contact Lydia at [email protected].
Religious Diversity Leadership Summit is on Tanenbaum’s YouTube channel
The 2025 Religious Diversity Leadership Summit session recordings are now available on Tanenbaum’s YouTube Channel! Click here to view the full playlist.
Tanenbaum’s 2025 Gala: Peace Made Possible!
Grab your tickets now for Tanenbaum’s Gala on October 23rd, 6:30-9pm at the Edison Ballroom for our Gala. You’ll hear from individuals who are creating and sustaining paths to building a world that respects religious difference including Corporate Bridge Builder honoree Nadine Augusta, Chief Impact Officer at Cushman and Wakefield, Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum Award for the Advancement of Interreligious Understanding honoree, Dr. Azza Karam, Founding President and CEO of Lead Integrity, and Adam Solomon Award for Excellence honoree Alison Overseth, CEO at the Partnership For After School Education (PASE). Tanenbaum will honor the legacy of the late Dr. Leonard S. Polonsky CBE with the Philanthropic Bridge Builder award in recognition of his lifelong commitment to charitable giving and interreligious understanding.
Click here to purchase tickets and sponsorships. Contact Simon Beer ([email protected]) with any questions you might have.
Stay Tuned
The Peacebuilding program will soon announce the 2025 Peacemaker in Action Award recipients! The award recognizes two religiously-motivated grassroots peace activists who work tirelessly to make their communities safer. They receive a cash prize to reinforce their work and join a network of 29 like-minded peacebuilders — Tanenbaum’s Peacemakers in Action Network.
Want to know more about these brave individuals? Listen to Peacebuilding’s podcast.
