Me & My Jewish Friends
Rabbi at Temple Shalom in Dallas emerges as leader in Muslim-Jewish dialogue
12:00 AM CST on Saturday, December 13, 2008
By SAM HODGES / The Dallas Morning News
samhodges@dallasnews.com
Rabbi Jeremy Schneider spends a lot of time talking to Muslims, and wants other Jews to do the same.
[Click image for a larger version] MIKE STONE/Special Contributor
MIKE STONE/Special Contributor
Rabbi Jeremy Schneider has emerged as a leader in Jewish-Muslim dialogue.
At age 32, the assistant rabbi at Dallas' Temple Shalom has emerged as a national leader in Jewish-Muslim dialogue.
"He has been in the forefront of strengthening relations between our two communities," said Rabbi Marc Schneider, president of the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
Rabbi Schneider – whose office boasts not only diplomas but a neon University of Texas longhorn – was one of 20 clergy who participated in last year's groundbreaking National Summit of Imams and Rabbis.
He was the only rabbi in a National Peace Foundation-sponsored delegation visiting the Muslim Middle East – specifically Egypt and Syria – last June.
At Temple Shalom, he preached against "Islamophobia" on Rosh Hashana, pointedly telling his congregation, "We must learn what Islam truly stands for, not from politicians, not from e-mail forwards, and not from the media, but from Muslims themselves by engaging in dialogue."
Interfaith gatherings
To that end, Rabbi Schneider has organized monthly meetings with five members of his congregation and five from the Islamic Association of Carrollton. He and his wife, Rachel, had a dinner at their home for the group during the Jewish holiday Sukkot.
"I find Rabbi Jeremy to be an amazing person, and a dear friend," said Azhar Azeez, president of the Carrollton mosque, who at Rabbi Schneider's request gave the sermon at Temple Shalom during a service last month. "He's been extremely sincere."
Rabbi Schneider traces his passion for interfaith efforts to growing up in the predominantly Christian suburbs of Houston.
His mother, a teacher, made it a point to educate schoolchildren about Judaism. He visited a church with his best friend and had the friend over for Passover.
"It was second nature," he said. "I thought that's what you do – learn about others' religion and teach them about yours."
After attending Jewish summer camps and spending a high school term in Israel, Rabbi Schneider majored in education at the University of Texas. He decided his junior year to be a rabbi, and after graduation enrolled at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
There, he got involved in interfaith efforts, and wrote a thesis titled "Jewish-Christian Relations: From Tolerance to Pluralism to Partnership." His thesis adviser was Rabbi Reuven Firestone, author of An Introduction to Islam for Jews and an advocate of Jews and Muslims learning from one another about their faiths.
Rabbi Schneider launched right into interfaith work – both with Christians and Muslims – soon after joining the staff at Temple Shalom, a Reform congregation, in 2006.
Tension in Middle East
While Jewish-Christian dialogue and projects have been going on for decades, Jewish-Muslim efforts are in an early and tentative stage, impeded by a strained, often violent political situation in the Middle East.
"It's the beginning of a marathon, not a sprint," said Mohamed Elibiary, president of the Freedom and Justice Foundation in Carrollton, and another Muslim who has spoken at Temple Shalom.
Rabbi Schneider makes plain that the dialogue he fosters is not aimed at changing anyone's faith. Nor is it about wrangling over the Middle East.
Rather, he said, it's about building relationships between Jews and Muslims in North Texas and across the United States, and working through fears to solid knowledge of the other's faith.
Rabbi Schneider argues that the three Abrahamic faiths – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – have much in common, and that extremists have, at times, "hijacked" each of them.
"There is terrorism in the world. There are fanatics in Judaism, in Christianity, in Islam. But if we give in to the fear that they're creating, then they win," he said.
Rabbi Schneider will be honored Jan. 10 by the National Peace Foundation for his interfaith work, and he plans to do more, including forming additional dialogue groups and starting a class on Islam at Temple Shalom.
There, he said, he has found "far more support than pushback," but acknowledges some congregants think he is naïve. Solidly in his corner is Rabbi Andrew Paley – senior rabbi at Temple Shalom.
"He's a terrific pastor and a wonderful teacher," Rabbi Paley said. "I'm praying that his example here will be a real model for people to follow."
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