In the News

Jewish Telegraphic Agency Washington – Ten U.S. Muslim leaders, including both Muslims in Congress, urged Hamas to return to Israel the remains of two soldiers. “In the name of Almighty God the most merciful and compassionate, we appeal to you on the basis of humanity and charity to release the remains of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, two Israeli soldiers killed in action, to their families,” said the letter sent Sept. 21 to Khaled Meshal, a leader of Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza...

The Washington Post By Rabbi Marc Schneier and Russell Simmons Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Crown Heights riots, perhaps the worst day in the history of Jewish-black relations. On Aug. 19, 1991, a Jewish driver accidentally struck and killed a black child in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The tragedy touched off three days of anti-Jewish rioting in the community, during which a Jewish student was fatally stabbed. The riots, the nadir of black-Jewish relations in America, served as a wake-up...

Huffington Post By Rabbi Marc Schneier In the wake of a series of horrific terrorist killings in Europe over the past two weeks in France, Germany and elsewhere — starting with the horrifying mass murder of 84 people in Nice at Bastille Day celebrations by a petty-criminal-turned-apparent-jihadist-warrior who ran over people with a truck, followed by the shooting of 10 people by an apparently non-ideological German-Iranian outside a McDonalds in Munich and ending with two Islamic State in Iraq and...

Uproxx Elisabeth Brier Very few celebrities have been meek in voicing their political leanings in 2016. Another A-lister using their star power to advocate for their particular presidential preference is mogul and activist Russell Simmons. Sitting down with Yahoo News, the founder of Def Jam Recordings asserted his views on Republican nominee, Donald Trump. The 58-year-old entrepreneur poignantly described his fear that Trump’s incessant fear-mongering and hateful sentiments will polarize the nation...

The Hill By Rabbi Marc Schneier In the wake of a series of horrific terrorist killings in Europe over the past two weeks in France, Germany and elsewhere — starting with the horrifying mass murder of 84 people in Nice at Bastille Day celebrations by a petty-criminal-turned-apparent-jihadist-warrior who ran over people with a truck, followed by the shooting of 10 people by an apparently non-ideological German-Iranian outside a McDonalds in Munich and ending with two Islamic State in Iraq and Syria...

New York Daily News By Rabbi Marc Schneier and Russell Simmons On the day after the horrific massacre at the Pulse nightclub, the presumed Republican candidate for President, Donald Trump, used the occasion to make the claim that Muslim refugees fleeing life-threatening violence in countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan are “trying to take over our children and convince them how wonderful ISIS is.” Trump went on to claim that Muslim spiritual and organizational leaders are refusing to tip off...

Variety By Andrew Barker Variety’s Philanthropist of the Year carries Buddhist serenity to his struggle for rapid change in a world he sees in ‘perfect order’ Celebrity Activism. It’s a phrase that rarely fails to raise hackles — and the specter of fashionable attachments to causes that accomplish more for the repute of the celebrity than the cause itself. But for multihyphenate mogul Russell Simmons, recognizing the power of his own celebrity was an essential step in his development into an activist...

The Jewish Voice More than 100 Muslim and Jewish leaders and interfaith activists came together to celebrate the Republic of Azerbaijan, on March 16th, 2016 in Washington DC. The group was welcomed to Washington by the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Elin Suleymanov. Among those at the event praising Azerbaijan for its contribution to enhanced Muslim-Jewish relations and for modeling how an overwhelmingly Muslim country can protect the right to freedom of religion for citizens of all faith...

Jewish Telegraphic Agency By Ben Sales New York Rabbi Marc Schneier two weeks ago met with Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in the country’s capital city of Manama. A day earlier, the Gulf Cooperation Council, a six-state body composed of Bahrain and its neighbors, had adopted a Bahraini-sponsored resolution declaring Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group committed to Israel’s destruction, a terrorist organization. Schneier heads the glitzy Hampton Synagogue and runs the Foundation for Ethnic...

The Jerusalem Post Jeremy Sharon King Al Khalifa meets with New York-based rabbi in the royal palace in Manama in order to discuss regional concerns in the Middle East. The king of Bahrain has reportedly recommended that the recent designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization by the Gulf Cooperation Council be taken up by the Arab League as well. Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa, head of the tiny island nation, has been one of the most ardent proponents for labeling the Lebanese group as a terrorist...