Shari Golberg

Shari Golberg has a PhD in Religion from the University of Toronto. Her academic work explores feminist approaches to Jewish and Islamic texts and contemporary text-based collaborations between Jewish and Muslim women. Her other research interests include Jewish and Islamic law, Canadian public policy and religious accommodation, diversity and conflict mediation, and interfaith activism. 

Golberg has taught numerous courses and facilitated many workshops on gender, diversity, and religiosity in both community-based and academic settings, including Huron College and the University of Toronto. In the summer of 2013, Golberg served as an evaluator of The University of Toronto's Connaught Summer Institute in Islamic Studies, a unique program for international doctoral students exploring issues of diversity in the study of Islam and in living Muslim communities.

Golberg also co-ordinates and facilitates Shema & Iqra': The Jewish-Muslim Text Project, a grassroots initiative which brings communities of Muslims and Jews together using classical religious texts as a springboard for dialogue to explore issues of mutual concern, including gender and religious leadership, environmental ethics, and creative expression.

Most recently, she has served as the Project Director of Beyond Calligraphy, an art exhibit exploring the relationship between art, public policy, and religious identity. Golberg also has extensive government experience, having worked as a policy analyst for many years at the Ontario Women's Directorate. During her time there, she helped develop a province-wide public education campaign to prevent violence against women and assisted former Attorney General Marion Boyd in the review of the Ontario arbitration process, which explored whether faith-based arbitration in family law matters had a differential impact on marginalized communities.

All her work seeks to encourage nuanced dialogue about religious identities and how these intersect with our political, civic, and ethno-cultural commitments.

CRRF Profile

Facilitator: Cross-Canada Workshop