The Temple of Understanding is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a gala ceremony on October 19 at the Pierre Hotel. Its mission is to promote peaceful co-existence among individuals, communities and societies through interfaith education. This year’s awardees are His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Crown Prince to the Hashemite Throne of Jordan from 1965 to 1999; The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa; His All Holiness, Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, the “green Pope”; and Karen Armstrong, scholar, author and founder of the Charter for Compassion.

The Juliet Hollister Award is granted to those secular and religious individuals whose life work has significantly advanced interfaith ideals. Recipients are religious figures who bring interfaith values into places of worship or secular figures who promote greater understanding of spiritual values as a tool for addressing injustice, bringing both peace and respect for cultural diversity to humanity.

“This is a very special year for us,” said Alison Van Dyk, Executive Director of the Temple of Understanding. “This year, four distinguished awardees, along with sixty-six Interfaith Visionaries, will join us at our 50th Anniversary Celebration and a Call to Action Conference. These honorees and visionaries are committed to grappling with the challenges of the present ecological crisis. The outcome of these events will help to co-create a new narrative in how we relate to the earth and its resources.”

To purchase your ticket, please contact [email protected], 212.573.9224 EXT. 22