Eden presents service award to JCRC executive director

The Board of Directors of Eden Theological Seminary has presented the Interfaith Service Award to Batya Abramson-Goldstein, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) in St. Louis.

"Batya Abramson-Goldstein is a most remarkable person," said Dr. David M. Greenhaw, president and professor of preaching and worship at Eden. "She makes interfaith dialogue happen. She does that not by making people talk to each other but by encouraging the opportunities for us to gather to speak honestly and straightforwardly. She is the engine for the St. Louis interfaith community. Eden recognizes her in deep appreciation for her persistence her passion and her professionalism."

"I am deeply honored to receive the 2009 Eden Theological Seminary Interfaith Service Award," said Batya. "It has been my privilege and joy to work closely with Dr. Greenhaw and the rest of the Eden family in a joint endeavor, working toward creating the understanding and mutual respect that builds community. It is activity such as this that brings about tikkun olam — 'repair of the world.' And, since this weary world of ours is still much in need of repair, there remains much to do."

Batya Abramson-Goldstein was appointed Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, effective January 1, 2003. Batya joined the St. Louis Jewish Community Relations Council in November of 1988 as Director of International Affairs and was appointed Associate Executive Director in 1992.

With her family, she lived in Israel from 1973-87. She received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Tel Aviv University. She also has a Master’s Degree in History from the University of Rochester.

Her engagement in interfaith activity includes the following:

• She is chair of the Interfaith Breakfast Dialogue Group, the oldest existing such group in the country.
• She is co-chair of the St. Louis Jewish/ Presbyterian dialogue group initiated by the JCRC and the Presbytery of Giddings Lovejoy in 2004.
• She is co-chair of the Eden Theological Seminary/Jewish community dialogue group initiated in 2007 and co-chair of the Muslim/Jewish Dialogue Group.
• She is currently Chair of the Cabinet of the Interfaith-Partnership/Faith Beyond Walls of St. Louis.

Batya is a member of the Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of St. Louis.

In 1993 Batya was the recipient of the St. Louis Jewish Federation’s Fred A. Goldstein Memorial Service Award. This award is given annually for outstanding innovative achievement in the field of Jewish communal service. In 2008, Batya was awarded Fontbonne University’s Jason Sommer Dedicated Semester Award for her work in “strengthening ties between Fontbonne University and the St. Louis Jewish community.”

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