Interfaith Garden To Be Dedicated at Loyola Marymount University

A new Interfaith Peace Garden will be dedicated on Thursday at Loyola Marymount University in memory of the son of a professor.

Avi Schaefer, son of Loyola Marymount University Professor Arthur Gross-Schaefer, was killed by a drunk driver three years ago. He was only 21 years old at the time.

The garden will mark the first such interfaith garden on the campus, according to Erin Hanson, LMU's director of donor relations.

"We felt it was a good fit with our mission," she said. "We have interfaith dialogue in other areas. Social justice is part of our mission statement."

The garden will feature benches and stones, with some hand picked by his mother, Laurie Schaefer, an artist. Quotes about peace are carved into them, Gross-Schaefer said.

"It's meant as a reflective space," Hanson said.

There are plans to use the garden, which is located adjacent to the Collins Faculty and Alumni Center, to host classes as well.

Gross-Schaefer, who is also a rabbi, said the garden is important to his family's healing process and will serve as a constant reminder of his son's dedication to promoting peace, including between Israelis and Palestinians.

"He wanted to reach out to Palestinians and pro-Palestinian students just so they could learn and could listen to each other," Gross-Schaefer said. "He thought there was no alternative but to find a place of peace."

He said his son, who had served in the Israeli army and was a student at Brown University at the time of his death, made a lasting impresssion in a short amount of time.

"He was very unique, and he was able to get people to listen to him," Gross-Schaefer said. "I think he would have significantly made a difference on the national and international level later on in his life."

The Interfaith Peace Garden is scheduled to be dedicated at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday.

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