The All Faiths Seminary Emblem

The school's emblem has evolved in its design. Yet the essential elements — selected carefully by Rabbi Gelberman — have held their meanings from the beginning.

To people lost in a desert, the sight of a palm tree on the horizon means water, or life itself. Thus, the palm is a fitting symbol of the Tree of Life for all people.

The four pairs of leaves represent the four parts of the body in pairs: the two feet, two arms, two ears, and two eyes. The single leaf in the center represents the single parts in our body: the mind, the heart, the mouth, and the sex organ.

Where there is unity among the four single parts — that is, the mind thinks in a positive way, the mouth speaks the truth, the heart is full of love, and the sex organ is used in collaboration with the spirit — then the feet will take us to the right places, the arms will be used to embrace, the ears will hear the inner still voice, and the eyes will see the Glory of God made manifest in our lifetime. The six rings forming the truck of the tree represent the Six days of Creation, each rising upon the other toward the Creator. The trunk takes its strength from the three circular root systems, each representing major teachings of Truth, as represented by the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. But always, no matter what faith we practice, or by what name we call God, God is One.