In the News

Huffington Post By Rabbi Marc Schneier February 17, 2017 There are many Muslims we know who have made significant contributions to America. As President Donald Trump signed his executive order two weeks ago ending all resettlement of refugees in U.S. for four months and placing an indefinite freeze on people arriving from seven Muslim majority countries, he claimed these draconian steps are necessary to keep out “radical Islamic terrorists.” The President then declared ominously, “We don’t want them...

In an op-ed for the JTA, FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier writes about how as allies of Martin Luther King, Jews must fight for the civil rights of Muslims

In an op-ed for the HuffPost, FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali write about how there is cause for hope for American Muslims

Huffington Post By Rabbi Marc Schneier Tatars children celebrating Eid El Adha in last September with the support of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding Over the course of my more than 25 years as a congregational rabbi, I have taken part in many joyous and memorable simchas (celebrations)—bar and bat-mitzvahs, weddings and holiday celebrations during which members of my synagogue came together to sing, dance and make merry, while committing to one another and to the Jewish people. This year,...

New Jersey Jewish News By Michele Alperin Jewish and Muslim women find common ground at Salaam Shalom conference With its core value of building one-to-one relationships that will change the world, the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom challenged each of the 500 Muslim and Jewish women at its 2016 national conference at Drew University in Madison to personally assume responsibility for building a different future. Inspirational talks from interfaith and social activists; smaller workshops focusing on skill-building,...

Jewish Telegraphic Agency By Ron Kampeas Washington – A year ago, when several dozen Washington-area Jewish and Muslim religious and lay leaders jostled for spots in a group picture, the mood was convivial. The most novel item on the agenda for that November 2015 confab was bringing in non-Middle Eastern Muslims into the Jewish-Muslim dialogue. The meeting and the venue — an Indonesian-American Muslim center in Silver Spring, Maryland — helped “dispel the myth that Muslims are inherently of Middle...

The New York Times By Laurie Goodstein NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Jolted into action by a wave of hate crimes that followed the election victory of Donald J. Trump, American Muslims and Jews are banding together in a surprising new alliance. They are putting aside for now their divisions over Israel to join forces to resist whatever may come next. New groups are forming, and interfaith coalitions that already existed say interest is increasing. Vaseem Firdaus, a Muslim who has lived in the United States...

The Jewish Week By Stewert Ain Schumer’s pick for top DNC post defends his Israel record in Jewish Week interview. Keith Ellison, the Minnesota congressman seeking to become chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is pushing back against critics who claim he has ties to radical anti-Israel and anti-Semitic groups. “I have always been a fierce fighter against anti-Semitism,” he told The Jewish Week in an exclusive interview. “I oppose it and always have.” Similarly, he said, he has supported...

Jewish Telegraphic Agency By Ron Kampeas Washington – The most shocking thing about talk of Keith Ellison’s Israel record as he rises within the Democratic Party is how few think it’s shocking. Rep. Ellison, D-Minn., is a leading contender for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, despite a record of tough criticism of Israel that pro-Israel insiders say would easily have disqualified him a decade ago. A supporter of the two-state solution and a frequent visitor to Israel, he also...

Jewish Telegraphic Agency Washington – Keith Ellison is facing mounting attacks from the pro-Israel right wing as the first Muslim congressman is positioned to lead the Democratic Party. And left-wing Jewish groups are rushing to his defense. The Zionist Organization of America, in a release this week, noted Ellison’s role in drafting a congressional letter following the 2009 Gaza War urging the Obama administration to press Israel to loosen its blockade on Gaza. (The letter also noted that security...