In the News

The Jerusalem Post By Sam Sokol US president, family, friends celebrate Passover dinner with Seder, the “continuation of a longstanding custom” for the Obamas. The White House tradition of holding a Passover Seder, started by US President Barack Obama in 2009 during his first term, is the continuation of a longstanding Obama family tradition, according to interfaith advocate Rabbi Marc Schneier. Schneier is the president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and a vice president of the World...

Huffington Post By Rabbi Marc Schneier and Russell Simmons March 21, 2013 Russell Simmons visits the Western Wall for the first time with Rabbi Marc Schneier when the two were in Israel in June 2012 to deliver Keynotes at the Israeli Presidential Conference. Photo Credit: Sasson Tiram At the Passover Seder, when we recall the Ten Plagues that God visited upon the ancient Egyptians, it is important to remember that not all of the plagues manifested themselves in the form of physical afflictions....

The Wall Street Journal By Adrienne Gaffney If the ultimate currency in Manhattan is real estate, one can do no better in voicing their philanthropic devotion than offering up their home in support of the cause. Russell Simmons did just that on Monday night, hosting 250 guests in his downtown penthouse for a reception supporting the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. The organization, of which Mr. Simmons is chairman, was founded by Rabbi Marc Schneier in 1989 to foster relationships between...

The Jerusalem Post By Marc Schneier There is no disputing the historic significance of President Barack Obama’s state visit to Israel. There is no disputing the historic significance of President Barack Obama’s state visit to Israel; his first since he was elected our nation’s chief executive just over four years ago. During his first term, the president did a great deal to make clear to all – including Israel’s adversaries – that he has the back of the Jewish state. In the face of unfair charges...

Politico By Kevin Cirilli Sean Hannity unleashed on Rep. Keith Ellison on Thursday night after a heated interview earlier in the week, charging that Ellison spent years spewing hateful rhetoric that the Fox News host suggested was as extreme as the Ku Klux Klan. On his program, Hannity linked Ellison to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and the late-Black Militant leader Khalid Muhammed. “The reality is, the Congressman not only associated with these radicals – but he spent years spewing their...

Jewish Journal of Greater LA By Ryan Torok Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons is bringing his passion for Jewish-Muslim relations to the West Coast. Simmons, who co-founded record label Def Jam at the age of 26 and helped jumpstart the careers of the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J, relocated from New York to Los Angeles in January to pursue the development of film and television projects, he recently told the Journal. But while here, he also hopes to bring more visibility to the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding,...

Huffington Post By Rabbi Marc Schneier The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold hearings today on the disturbing rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. In a pre-hearing interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, sub-committee chairman, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), said that anti-Semitism “is getting demonstrably worse all over the world, but especially Europe … The Middle East is a cauldron of anti-Semitic hate, but much of that hatred is spilling out through the Muslim Diaspora and through...

Ynet By Rabbi Marc Schneier Op-ed: Prominent rabbi says increased willingness of European Muslim leaders to denounce attacks on Jews mustn’t be overlooked The delegates to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations deserve our united applause for travelling to Paris last week to express solidarity with French Jewry, which has endured a rising number of violent anti-Semitic attacks in recent years, including the horrific incident in Toulouse last March in which an Islamist...

The Jerusalem Post By Sam Sokol Dozens of imams hold Holocaust commemoration in Drancy, where Jews in 1942 were confined before being transported to extermination camps. Leaders of Jewish and Muslim communities in Germany met in Cologne on Tuesday in an effort by the New York based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding to “create long-term strategies to promote interfaith unity.” According to the foundation, both Jews and Muslims have suffered from efforts to restrict their religious freedom and...

Huffington Post By Rabbi Marc Schneier New York City and the entire nation are mourning the passing of former Mayor Ed Koch, a larger-than-life figure who came to personify the city he ran with verve and ebullience for three full terms from 1978-1989. Coming to office at a time when New York was all but bankrupt and seemingly coming apart at the seams, Koch used his mayoralty as a bully pulpit to revive New Yorkers’ belief in the viability of the city as a safe and vibrant place to live and raise...