SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Evening of Roses, a fundraising event for the Sister Rose Thering Fund for Jewish-Christian Studies, will be Tuesday, June 5, at 6 p.m. As part of the fund’s 25th anniversary celebration, The Evening of Roses will feature Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, as the keynote speaker.
All money raised during this annual event — which is being held on campus in the newly dedicated Bethany Hall — helps support scholarships for educators in the university’s graduate program in Jewish-Christian studies, as well as promote the fund’s work of fostering understanding and cooperation among Jews, Christians and people of other religious traditions through advocacy and education.
Sister Rose Thering was a lifelong activist who fought anti-Semitism and was instrumental in building bridges between Jews and Christians. The Sister Rose Thering Fund supports students studying in the graduate program of Jewish-Christian Studies in the Department of Religion in the College of Arts and Sciences, which offers a comprehensive curriculum leading to a master of arts degree in Jewish-Christian studies, as well as a certificate in Jewish-Christian studies. The fund was established in 1993 and Thering served as its administrator until retiring in 2005. As administrator, she played an integral part in recruiting educators to take part in the program and in raising funds to defray the costs of tuition.
This year, two guests of honor will be recognized for their work in this arena: Marilyn Rosenbaum, founding trustee of the Sister Rose Thering Fund, and Darrell K. Terry Sr., president and chief executive officer of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey.
Rosenbaum will receive the Sister Rose Thering Lifetime Achievement Award. Rosenbaum had an important role in shaping the vision and implementing the mission of the fund as a founding trustee. Rosenbaum formerly served as the president of the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Women’s Organization and was later elected to the board of Beth Israel and became a charter member of its health care foundation. In this role, she raised the foundation’s annual contributions to $250 million.
In 1993, Rosenbaum had become active in the cause to allow Soviet Jews to emigrate to the West. Her work became a foundation for a movement to grant people of all faiths the opportunity to leave the Soviet Union. During this time, a colleague told Rosenbaum that Thering might be of assistance in mobilizing the Catholic community in this effort. She was, and this formed a lifelong working friendship between the two women. In the 25 years since the fund’s founding, Rosenbaum has served several terms as vice chairwoman and has been a member of every committee.
Terry will receive the Rev. Ron Christian Award for Community Leadership. Terry began his career at Beth Israel in 1997 in operations management; he was named senior vice president of operations in 2006, became chief operating officer in 2011 and in 2016 assumed his current position as president and chief executive officer. Terry is a distinguished Paul Harris Fellow, sits on several boards and has received numerous awards throughout his career, including recognitions from the Men of Essex and the township of Irvington. Terry’s work with the greater Newark community has garnered him awards from Steve Adubato’s Stand and Deliver, as well as the Maplewood and Oranges Unit of the NAACP.
Tickets for this event can be purchased at www.shu.edu/eveningofroses. Seton Hall students are able to purchase tickets at a discounted price. The campus is located at 400 South Orange Ave., South Orange.
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