Dr. Dror Bondi, 2025-2027 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations at Boston College, will examine how Abraham Joshua Heschel responded to his encounter with Martin Buber. Rather than comparing the two thinkers as parallel philosophers, this lecture will follow Heschel’s evolving engagement with Buber–from his early poetry and doctoral dissertation to his mature reflections on prophecy, symbolism, and interreligious dialogue. This lecture will suggest that Heschel’s distinctive understanding of prophetic response offers a fresh perspective on both the divine-human relationship and dialogue between religious traditions.   

Dr. Dror Bondi is Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer at the Schechter Institute in Israel and the 2025-2027 Corcoran Visiting Chair in Christian-Jewish Relations at Boston College. He completed his Ph.D. and M.A. in Jewish Philosophy at Bar-Ilan University. He is an author, translator and editor of several of Abraham Joshua Heschel’s books in Hebrew. Dr. Bondi’s book Ayeca? about Heschel’s thought earned him the 2006 Shalem Prize. In 2019, his edition of Heschel’s groundbreaking Torah Min HaShamayim (Torah From Heaven) won the Mifal HaPais Prize.