Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp Symposium
"The Insolent Waters: Moral Choices for an Endangered Planet"
The Hague, 26 February 2008


Introduction:

“The Insolent Waters – Moral Choices for an Endangered Planet” was the title of an international Symposium held on the occasion of Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp's retirement as Rabbi of the Liberal Jewish Congregation of The Hague. The event that was attended by around 200 invited guests commemorated Rabbi Soetendorp’s many achievements as Rabbi, Earth Charter Commissioner, Ambassador for the MDGs and committed world citizen.

Among the speakers were The Netherlands’ former Prime Minister and Earth Charter Commissioner Ruud Lubbers, Her Royal Highness Princess Mabel van Oranje-Nassau, and Dr. Katherine Marshall of the Berkley Center for Religion and World Affairs in Washington DC, who is a colleague of Rabbi Soetendorp's in the World Economic Forum’s Council of 100 Leaders for Islam-West Dialogue.

Observing the symposium, it was a an exiting moment to meet two remaining relatives of the foster family that cared for Awraham as a baby during Nazi occupation. Awraham has touched the hearts of millions of people by telling his moving life story, the story of having survived the Holocaust because of the courage of a German-born woman who opened her door for a baby that was placed in front of her in a suitcase. Seeing Rabbi Awraham who in his first years grew up as Bobby van der Kemp embrace the two remaining nieces of his foster mother was indeed very moving.

Download the Program Booklet of the Symposium here...


Symposium Video part 1:


Symposium Video part 2:




Speeches - Audio Files:
Introduction by Prof. Ted Young:
{play}images/stories/mp3/Introduction.mp3{/play}

Introduction by Leon de Winter:
{play}images/stories/mp3/Intro_Leon_de_Winter.mp3{/play}

Dr. Ruud Lubbers:
Forming a global partnership to care for the Earth and one another
{play}images/stories/mp3/ruud_lubbers.mp3{/play}

HRH Princess Mabel van Oranje-Nassau:
Forming a global partnership - the European contribution
{play}images/stories/mp3/Princess_Mabel.mp3{/play}

Professor Rabbi Marc Saperstein:
Jewish Identity and strengthening universal values
{play}images/stories/mp3/Saperstein.mp3{/play}

Imam Maoulana Umer Ahmad Ilyasi:
Islamic values and making difficult choices
{play}images/stories/mp3/Ilyasi_echt.mp3{/play}
Download transcrips here...

Prof. Katherine Marshall:
Water for peace; from conflict to resolution
{play}images/stories/mp3/K_Marshall.mp3{/play}
Download transcripts here...

Ms. Erica Terpstra:
(Inter)national politics and making difficult choices
{play}images/stories/mp3/Erika_Tserpstra.mp3{/play}

Rabbi David Lilienthal:
Jewish values and making difficult choices
{play}images/stories/mp3/Rabbi_Liliental.mp3{/play}

Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp:
The Insolent Waters
{play}images/stories/mp3/Rabbi_Soetendorp.mp3{/play}

Picture Gallery:
{gallery}symposium{/gallery}

The Soetendorp Institute

Contact

Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values
Van Wijngaerdenstraat 21
2596 TW The Hague
The Netherlands
info@soetendorpinstitute.org