This Week's Nominee
| | Our 2023 Community Partner
While the challenges continue, so do the good works done by our neighbors, our teachers, our health care providers, our volunteers and so many others. This is their story. Ledyard National Bank is proud to support the 2023 Hometown Heroes, who were nominated by members of the community and selected by editors of the Concord Monitor. Nominate your Hometown Hero Today. |
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| | Hometown Hero: Art Rosen of Newbury knows about his own religion, and yours as well
By RAY DUCKLER
Monitor columnist
Finding an impartial voice these days, especially when it comes to certain topics, seems difficult. But when it comes to the world’s religions, Art Rosen plays it right down the middle.
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| He lectures in schools, makes speaking engagements, writes books and designs college courses. Rosen is Jewish, but don’t be shy to ask him about Christianity, or the many branches that that religion has spawned, or Islam, or so many others.
He prides himself on treating all religions, in and out of the classroom and in front of the lectern, the same. Respecting the wonder and splendor of what each represents while making sure a critique covers a well-rounded review. Positive and negative viewpoints are welcome.
For each and every denomination.
“When we first met he was knowledgeable about religion,” said Rosen’s wife, Maureen Rosen. “I had dozens of questions, and it was very attractive to me that someone was so thoughtful about all religions.”
That’s why Maureen added her husband to The Monitor’s list of Hometown Heroes. He’s unbiased, inquisitive and a valuable learning tool, even at 92. He recalls his first class on organized religion.
“I found religion very interesting,” Art said. “There was a course about Exodus, and I thought I could teach that, and that led to things like who wrote the Bible?”
He studied and analyzed the intellectual and historical elements of religion. He acted as a critical observer and spokesman for religions when the time was right. He tossed himself into a complex, sometimes violent world and tried to explain it.
And, at 92, he’s surprisingly progressive.
“There are an awful lot of ideas that are still believed in even though the world has science now,” Rosen said. “I read the Bible, and the Holy thought God was just above the clouds and angels moved the stars to different places.”
And here’s a twist: Rosen had always shadowed the world’s religions, learning what he could, but he did not make it his life until after he had worked in market research and advertising for 35 years.
But a new life was calling. Rosen loosened his tie, dropped his briefcase and headed into retirement at the relatively young age of 63. That gave him plenty of time to devote to religion. He was a volunteer and said the job was quite rewarding.
“People would go and play golf all day long,” Maureen said. “He could read the Bible all day long.”
His list of contributions and career positions is vast and impressive. He’s been designing coursework for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Dartmouth, and Adventures in Learning at Colby-Sawyer College for more than 20 years. He speaks at churches and synagogues, and works with civic groups in Northern New England.
He’s spoken to a Christian audience of more than 100 at a communion breakfast, and he collaborated with the Rev. Jay MacLeod to offer a course on the Book of Genesis at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.
He’s the secretary of the Newbury Veterans Committee and the Kearsarge Interfaith Council. He and Maureen formed a Jewish social group to counter the lack of synagogues in the Granite State.
But Rosen’s favorite time is when he and Maureen form a team. They teach classes. Maureen presents a detailed PowerPoint and shows maps and portraits.
“It’s a very attractive format,” Art said. “I give her an outline on a yellow pad. In the end, I’m the words and she’s the music.”
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