Engaging with Muslim and Jewish Student Leaders on College Campuses

Rabbi Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali, spiritual leader of the Jamaica Muslim Center, the largest mosque in New York with over 20,000 members, are taking the lead to address and combat the rise of Antisemitism on college campuses. As co-authors of the acclaimed Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation about the Issues That Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims, they are uniquely positioned to facilitate discussions with Jewish and Muslim student leaders in testament to their pioneering advocacy in Muslim-Jewish relations for two decades.

On Thursday November 2, 2023, Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali met with 25 Muslim student association leaders from Lehman College and other CUNY campuses. The meeting took place at Lehman College in the Bronx. The first meeting was held in the evening of Saturday October 28 with 30 Hillel student leaders from schools such as Baruch, Pace, CCNY and John Jay, who shared their concerns about the rise of antisemitism on college campuses.

The message conveyed by the Rabbi and the Imam at both meetings, is that regardless of our opinions on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable and while protests and demonstrations are freedoms we cherish, there must be zero tolerance for any kind of violence, intimidation and confrontation against Jews in America. The Rabbi and the Imam are at the forefront of combating Antisemitism and Islamophobia in the United States and around the world.

News12, CBS, Fox5 reported on the events.