Orthodox rabbi, hip-hop mogul join forces to fight Islamophobia

"Now we are asking to create an atmosphere of understanding and cooperation between Jews and Muslims in the United States"


By Shlomo Shamir

Marc Schneier, an Orthodox rabbi in New York, and hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons have joined forces to produce a short film to combat negative stereotypes of Muslims.

The film, which will be shot in the coming weeks under Schneier's direction, will also feature the legendary Jewish hip-hop group the Beastie Boys.

Several months ago Schneier and Simmons, the founder of Def Jam records, produced a short film on anti-Semitism which was shown in schools across the United States. The film featured appearances by rap stars such as Jay-Z, and was widely considered a success.

Schneier said the film against anti-Semitism, which has been featured on CNN, will soon be shown on screens in certain European countries.

"It was Russell Simmons who suggested we take the success of the film against anti-Semitism as a model to be imitated in the struggle against racism, and that we make a similar film against Islamophobia," Schneier told Haaretz.

Schneier and Simmons are co-presidents of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, which works to improve relations between Jews and other minorities in the United States.

Since its founding in 1989, the foundation has been particularly successful in improving relations between American Jewish and black communities.

According to Schneier, the fund has since turned its focus to improving relations between American Jews and Hispanics.

"The fund has succeeded in changing the nature of relations between Jewish and black people from conflict to cooperation in several areas," Schneier said.

"Now we are asking to create an atmosphere of understanding and cooperation between Jews and Muslims in the United States," he said.

[link to www.haaretz.com]