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Conferences and Missions


“Addressing Great Neck’s United Against Hate Conference – A prelude to Martin Luther King Weekend”

January 11, 2024

Rabbi Marc Schneier addressed the ‘United Against Hate conference’ hosted on January 11, 2024, by Ted Rosen, Mayor of Great Neck Plaza. The event was moderated by Dr. Ken Bossert, Great Neck Public School Superintendent and was convened at Great Neck Plaza Village Hall as a prelude to Martin Luther King Weekend. The Rabbi was joined by Imam Shamsi Ali, Karen Boykin-Towns, NAACP chair-elect, Steven Chen, Great Neck Chinese Association co-President, and Hon. Mojgan Lancman, judge of New York Supreme Court 11th Judicial District. Reflecting on the teachings of Dr. King Jr., Panelists call for unity to combat the rising tide of hate crimes and intolerance gripping the nation.
 


“Engaging with Muslim and Jewish Student Leaders on College Campuses”

November 3, 2023

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.


“Indonesian Muslim Scholars Global Leadership Program hosted at FFEU”

September 28, 2023

Rabbi Schneier and his dear friend and co-author, Imam Shamsi Ali hosted at FFEU a cadre of young Muslim scholars from Indonesia, who traveled to the United States as part of the Nusantara Foundation’s Global Leadership Program, a program held in cooperation with the West Java Province Government.

“Rabbi Schneier meets with King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence new Chairman during UNGA78 in New York”

September 22, 2023

Rabbi Schneier met with H.E. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s Undersecretary for International Affairs and recently appointed Chairman of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence where the Rabbi serves as Special Advisor on behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
At the conclusion of their meeting, the Rabbi presented H.E. Shaikh Abdulla with the new Arabic edition of his book, Sons of Abraham.

“FFEU and N. Nazarbayev Center working together on promoting interfaith ideals of VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions”

May 31, 2023

FFEU is proud to partner with the N. Nazarbayev Center for Development of Interfaith and Inter-Civilizational Dialogue to promote the ideals of coexistence and cooperation as championed by faith leaders including Pope Francis at the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier addressed the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, convened under the Chairmanship of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 14-15 September, in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital. The text of the Declaration of the VII Congress is available in 10 Languages (Read here)
The N. Nazarbayev Center for Development of Interfaith and Inter-
Civilization Dialogue was established in April 2019 at the initiative of the
participants of the VI Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional
Religions.
The Center is an international platform for holding sessions of the
Congress and its institutes – the Secretariat of the Congress and the
Working Group, aimed at interaction with international structures,
domestic and foreign religious organizations, and their spiritual leaders.

Find more information about the Center here.


“Planning Interfaith Initiatives with the Ambassadors of Oman and Uzbekistan”

May 4, 2023

Rabbi Schneier and his wife were hosted by H.E. Moosa Al Tai, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman his residence in Washington, D.C. They discussed various initiatives, including exciting developments with the Rabbi’s book Sons of Abraham which was translated into Arabic by UAE’s leading publishing house Motivate, and will be distributed throughout Oman in the coming months.
The Schneiers then with H.E. Furqat Sidikov, the new Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the United States, at The Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Washington, D.C. Rabbi Schneier extended an invitation to the Ambassador to participate in The Hampton Synagogue Global Breakfast Forum. The Ambassador and the Rabbi also discussed Rabbi Schneier’s forthcoming visit to Tashkent to meet with Uzbekistan’s leadership.

 


“Extending Ramadan Greetings to Ambassadors of Muslim countries to Israel”

March 31 – April 17, 2023

Rabbi Schneier had the distinct honor to visit and to extend his Ramadan greetings to many Ambassadors of Muslim countries to Israel, including H.E. Sakir Ozkan Torunlar, new Ambassador of Türkiye to Israel, H.E. Ines Demiri, Ambassador of Kosovo to Israel H.E. Satybaldy Burshakov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Israel and Cyprus and H.E. Khaled Yusuf al-Jalahma, Ambassador of Bahrain to Israel. They discussed their countries’ partnership with FFEU to strengthen global Muslim-Jewish cooperation.

 


“Solidarity delegation to Turkiye

March 1-5, 2023

Following the massive devastation that killed more than 50,000 people in Southern Turkiye, Rabbi Marc Schneier’s Hampton Synagogue solidarity delegation to Turkiye met with Chief Rabbi of Turkiye, Isaak Haleva and the leadership of the Turkish Jewish community.

 


“Rabbi Marc Schneier hosted at Arab News heaquarters in Riyadh by Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas”

February 27, 2023

In late February, Rabbi Marc Schneier led a delegation of the Hampton Synagogue to Saudi Arabia, the first-ever synagogue delegation to visit the Kingdom. During the visit, Faisal J. Abbas, Arab News Editor-in-Chief, hosted Rabbi Schneier at the newspaper’s headquarters in Riyadh where he was presented with a beautiful testimonial gift in appreciation for his biweekly column.

Rabbi Schneier is the first Rabbi columnist in the premier English newspaper published in the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia and widely throughout the greater Arab and Muslim world.


“FFEU and N. Nazarbayev Center leaderships sign MoU to promote interfaith ideals of VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions

February 2, 2023

Rabbi Schneier met with H.E. Bulat Sarsenbayev, Chairman of the Board of the N. Nazarbayev Center for Development of Interfaith and Inter-Civilizational Dialogue at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Washington D.C. for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between FFEU and the N. Nazarbayev Center. They were joined by FFEU Executive Director Chris Sacarabany and N. Nazarbayev Center Senior Consultant Kanat Jumabekov. FFEU will continue to be in the leadership of and at the forefront in promoting the ideals of coexistence and cooperation as championed by faith leaders including Pope Francis at the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

“Rabbi Marc Schneier Opens First Kosher Kitchen in Qatar and Facilitates Kosher Food For World Cup

November 20 – December 19, 2022

Since 2017, H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy has worked with FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier to accommodate the global Jewish fans in attendance at the World Cup 2022.

The Kosher food initiative implemented in Qatar during World Cup 2022 is the result of a successful collective effort spearheaded by Rabbi Schneier with Qatari and US Congressional officials.

The Kosher kitchen is under the supervision of Rabbi Mendy Chitrik of Istanbul and Chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, and his son Rabbi Eliyahu Chitrik. The Kosher food includes the production of the first bagels in Qatar, baking of Challah for Shabbat and other ethnically Jewish delicacies.

Rabbi Schneier thanked in particular H.E. Mr. Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways for dedicating a Kosher kitchen at QACC – Qatar Aircraft Catering Company, and Attila Dogudan, Chairman of FIFA’s VIP caterer Do & Co for overseeing the Kosher Qatar initiative.

In working with H.E. Mr. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Rabbi Schneier was joined by the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Qatari-American Strategic Relationships, Congressman André Carson and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Qatari Ambassador to the United States H.E. Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani and H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Bin Saleh Al-Naimi, Chair of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue.


“Addressing the Bahrain Dialogue Forum in Manama”

November 3-4, 2022

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier shared his experiences of Promoting Global Coexistence and Human Fraternity at the Bahrain Dialogue Forum’s main session while highlighting the contribution of the Kingdom and His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to global coexistence and cooperation.
The 2-day conference gathered 200 faith leaders. The closing ceremony took place at King Hamad’s Royal Palace with the participation of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, His Holiness Pope Francis and Sheikh Al Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar.

“Interfaith Harmony for Global Peace and Security” conference and Ambassadorial receptions in Washington DC”

October 26-27, 2022

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier was honored, as a keynote speaker, to join his esteemed friend, H.E. Khazar Ibrahim Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States, at Azerbaijan’s international Conference on “Interfaith Harmony for Global Peace and Security” in Washington DC. The conference was co-organized on October 26. by the Baku International Multiculturalism Centre, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, the Catholic University of America and the State Committee on Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Later that evening Rabbi Schneier along with H.E. Murat Mercan, Ambassador of Turkiye to the United States attended the reception hosted at the residence of Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Michael Herzog in honor of H.E. Isaac Herzog, President of Israel.
On October 27, Rabbi Schneier joined a litany of American Jewish leaders and a cadre of diplomats and U.S. officials at the Turkish national day reception at the residence of Ambassador Mercan, marking the 99th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic of Türkiye.

Addressing the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan

September 14-15, 2022

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier addressed the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, convened under the Chairmanship of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 14-15 September, in Nur-Sultan (Astana), Kazakhstan’s capital.
The high-level, two-day gathering saw the participation of approximately 100 delegates from 50 countries, including eminent religious leaders such as HH Pope FrancisGrand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El-TayebRussian Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony Sevryuk of Volokolamsk, the two Chief Rabbis of Israel Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau and Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef.
In his remarks, Rabbi Schneier made an appeal to the global audience. “We need to strengthen the role of religious actors in peacebuilding, as well as bolster efforts to uphold the importance of freedom of religion and belief around the world.”

Launching of Kazakhstan’s 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in New York City

June 27, 2022

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier and Hon. Edward Mermelstein, New York City Commissioner for International Affairs, hosted at New York City Hall a round table «New York Celebrates Kazakhstan: Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions» launching the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions to be held in Kazakhstan in September.
This special event convened an interfaith Kazakhstani leadership delegation representing Muslim, Jewish, Evangelical Christian and Baha’i communities, led by H.E. Yerzhan Ashikbayev, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the U.S., H.E. Bulat Sarsenbayev, Chairman of the Board of the N. Nazarbayev Center for Development of Interfaith and Inter-Civilizational Dialogue, H.E. Raushan Yesbulatova, Consul General of Kazakhstan in New York, and a delegation of New York City Faith Leaders led by Pastor Gilford Monrose and Rev. Fernando Cabrera of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, Office of the Mayor of New York City.
The New York City Hall roundtable was followed by a FFEU reception hosted by Rabbi Schneier and Ambassador Ashikbayev.

Facilitating the Historic Ankara Meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli President Isaac Herzog

March 9, 2022

Rabbi Schneier joined Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli President Isaac Herzog at a private dinner in Ankara, in the Presidential Palace, to celebrate Türkiye-Israel rapprochement.
This first step to an Israel-Türkiye rapprochement – which marked the first visit of an Israeli leader in the past 14 years to Türkiye – was facilitated by Rabbi Schneier in cooperation with the Turkish Ambassador to the United States H.E. Murat Mercan.

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier addresses the Peace4Culture Partners Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan

December 2, 2021

On December 2nd, 2021, Rabbi Schneier was hosted by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture, H.E. Anar Karimovas a guest speaker at the Peace4Culture Partners Forum. The event held at Azerbaijan’s ADA University was attended by the leadership and representatives of a number of international organizations, global institutions specializing in promoting peace, local government agencies and the diplomatic corps. 
Addressing the forum’s opening plenary, Rabbi Schneier noted that Azerbaijan is a beacon of inter-religious and intercultural relations by citing examples of the Heydar Mosque, presided by both Sunni and Shia Imams, and the peaceful coexistence with Azerbaijan’s indigenous Jewish community.
The Forum was held as a follow-up to the Peace4Culture Global campaign launched in June 2021 by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, UNAOC and ICESCO.

Rabbi Marc Schneier & H.E. Muhammad Al-Issa Receive “Children of Abraham” Award

August 20, 2019

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier and the Muslim World League’s Secretary General Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa were presented the “Children of Abraham” award by the Florence School of Advanced Studies for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (FSD) at the 40th annual Meeting for Friendship Amongst Peoples, in Rimini, Italy. 

The award was created for spiritual leaders who dedicate their lives to the promotion of understanding and collaboration between religious groups and citizens of different faiths and to the construction of human solidarity.


FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier attends the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom conference in Washington, DC

July 16-18, 2019

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier attended the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom hosted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The Ministerial will reaffirm international commitments to promote religious freedom for all and focus on concrete ways to combat religious persecution and discrimination, and ensure greater respect for freedom of religion or belief. Rabbi Schneier had the honor to sit with Human Rights Activist and Former Congressman Frank Wolf, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, Founding Secretary General of KAICIID Faisel bin Abdulrahman bin Muaammar, Head of the global Bektashi community Baba Mondi of Albania and Former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Rabbi David Saperstein.


FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier attends the Peace to Prosperity Workshop in Manama, Bahrain

June 26, 2019

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier was part of the Bahraini delegation and attended the White House’s Peace to Prosperity Workshop held in Manama. The gathering brought together government leaders, private and public sector business leaders to develop economic opportunities for the Palestinian people.  


FFEU leadership participate in the Al Amana Center’s Global Symposium on the “Role of Religion in Reconciliation” in Muscat, Oman

April 29-30, 2019

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier and FFEU Executive Director Chris Sacarabany participated in the Al Amana Centre’s global symposium on the “Role of Religion in Reconciliation” in Muscat, Oman. Before Rabbi Schneier delivered his keynote address, he called for a moment of silence for the Jewish victims in the attack at the Chabad of Poway this past Shabbat. He reminded the gathering that be it Jews in California or Pittsburgh, Christians in Sri Lanka or Muslims in New Zealand, we share a common faith and a common fate and we must all stand up for one another. 


FFEU leads historical Evangelical Christian Mission to Muslim Azerbaijan

March 12, 2019

Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU), and Bishop Robert Stearns, founder and executive director of Eagles’ Wings, led the first Evangelical Christian Mission to the Republic of Azerbaijan on March 04-08, 2019. 14 of the leading Evangelical Christian leaders from the United States, Brazil and United Arab Emirates joined the FFEU on the first Evangelical mission and met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations Mubariz Gurbanli, and Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims’ Board Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade. The group also participated in the international conference, “From Interreligious and Inter-civilizational dialogue towards cooperation”, and visited Muslim, Jewish and Christian institutions and historical places in Azerbaijan.


FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier joins the United Arab Emirates leadership in welcoming His Holiness Pope Francis to the first ever Papal visit in the Gulf

February 04, 2019

In recognition of his work building Jewish life in the Gulf, FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier was invited to join the United Arab Emirates leadership in welcoming His Holiness Pope Francis. He addressed the Global Conference of Human Fraternity convened by the Muslim Council of Elders and Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi.

Rabbi Marc Schneier was also featured in The National (the UAE’s leading newspaper) as one of key religious figures in Abu Dhabi for Pope Francis’ historical visit in the Gulf.

FFEU Executive Director Chris Sacarabany celebrates World Interfaith Harmony Week at the United Nations, New York

February 06, 2019

FFEU Executive Director Chris Sacarabany joined Nusantara Foundation President Imam Shamsi Ali, NYPD Chief Chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kass, Rev. Michael Livingston, Senior Minister The Riverside Church, Gordon Hanson Montgomery Tapper, Founder of Give Them A Hand Foundation and other faith leaders to celebrate the “World Interfaith Harmony Week” at the United Nations. FFEU is proud to have co-sponsored “Building Bridges Across Boundaries The Path to sustainable Development through Interfaith Harmony” which was attended by more than 400 people.


FFEU Executive Director Chris Sacarabany at the Jewish Africa Conference in New York City

January 28, 2019

FFEU Executive Director Chris Sacarabany joined Elmehdi Boudra, President of Mimouna Association and Dr. Ephraim Isaac, Director of the Institute of Semitic Studies at Princeton, at the Jewish Africa Conference – Past, Present, and Future sponsored by the American Sephardi Federation and Mimouna Association. The event, which was held at the Center for Jewish History in New York, was an opportunity to explore the ethno-religious diversity of the African continent. The conference also looked at the still little-known but growing phenomenon of people in sub-Saharan African countries who are practicing Judaism.


Rabbi Marc Schneier speaks at the Baku Center for Interfaith Cooperation (BCIC) in Berlin, Germany

November 19, 2018

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier spoke at the interreligious conference in Berlin sponsored by BCIC, the Baku Center for Interfaith Cooperation. Speaking about “transitioning dialogue to cooperation,” Rabbi Schneier challenged the participants (including 400 religious luminaries and members of Germany’s parliament) why weren’t the voices of faith leaders raised in screaming protest in November 1938 while 1400 synagogues were engulfed in flames, 7500 Jewish shops destroyed and 30,000 Jews incarcerated and sent to concentration camps.


FFEU sponsors the 1st Muslim-Jewish Interfaith Coalition Forum in Morocco

August 28 – Sept. 01, 2018

FFEU is proud to sponsor this groundbreaking text based interfaith forum where sixty young professional Muslims and Jews from 17 countries will gather in Essaouira, Morocco from August 28 – September 1. The forum, organized by the Muslim-Jewish Interfaith Coalition in partnership with Mimouna Association, is centered around in-depth text-based sessions in our Beit Madrassa, which is a play on the Jewish study house, beit midrash, and the Muslim religious school, a madrassa. Every seminar and discussion will be paired with text study– even our sessions on the Israeli Palestinian conflict, as many actors in the region filter their politics through their religious identity. At the 5-day conference, FFEU European Coordinator, Samia Hathroubi is moderating a few key sessions.

The forum will also allow participants to engage in the history and complexity of Muslim-Jewish relations in Morocco, and specifically Essaouira.


Rabbi Marc Schneier and Dr. Sayyid Syeed discuss the FFEU 2018 Poll on Muslim-Jewish relations at the American Jewish Press Association Conference

June 19, 2018

The Foundation For Ethnic Understanding President Rabbi Marc Schneier and FFEU’s longtime partner and Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Senior Adviser Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed were hosted by the American Jewish Press Association at their 2018 conference in Cleveland. AJPA conference gathered the top Anglo-Jewish media editors and publishers in the United States and Canada. Rabbi Schneier and Dr. Syeed led a discussion about the “State of the Muslim-Jewish Relations in America” and presented the results of FFEU 2018 Poll on Muslim-Jewish relations.


Rabbi Marc Schneier leads the First Congregational Mission to Bahrain

February 26, 2018

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier is joined by Ken Sunshine, Secretary of the Board, in leading the Hampton Synagogue Congregational mission to Bahrain. This is the first-ever congregational mission to an Arab State in the Gulf. The delegation is meeting with the Prince of Bahrain, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bahraini officials and leaders of the Bahrain Jewish community, including former ambassador of Bahrain to the United States Huda Nonoo and current member of Bahraini parliament Nancy Khedouri and community leader Michael Yadgar.


Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali address the DICID Conference and Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s College of Islamic Studies in Doha, Qatar

February 20-21, 2018

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali addressed the 13th Doha interfaith conference 2018 on the subject “religious tolerance and the rejection of religious intolerance.” After the conference, they were invited to discuss their journey and their work in the field of Muslim-Jewish relations at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s College of Islamic Studies in Doha.


Rabbi Marc Schneier addresses Baku Conference on Interfaith Dialogue

December 21, 2017

FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier addressed the conference “2017 – Islamic Solidarity Year: Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue”, a gathering of global religious leaders in Baku.

He spoke about FFEU’s fight against anti-Muslim bigotry and it’s #MuslimsAreSpeakingOut Campaign. Read more in Trend News Agency