US IMAMS, RABBIS PROMOTE TOLERANCE

Twelve imams and rabbis are starring a commercial to fight Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in the US and promote tolerance among their fellow religionists. “This is serious work,” Rabbi Eric Silver of Temple Beth David in Cheshire, Conn., said.

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June 18, 2022
Twelve imams and rabbis are starring a commercial to fight Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in the US and promote tolerance among their fellow religionists. “This is serious work,” Rabbi Eric Silver of Temple Beth David in Cheshire, Conn., said. “This goes far beyond just talking about brotherhood and joining hands and singing ‘Kumbaya’,” he asserted, referring to the song composed by Reverend Marvin V. Frey in the 1930s. The commercial will feature six imams and six rabbis condemning prejudice and intolerance against Muslims and Jews. It will be aired in September during the holy fasting month of Ramadan and in early October during the Jewish High Holy Days.

In November, the imams and rabbis will launch a national initiative matching a synagogue with a mosque in 25 cities and towns to fight Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. Imam Muneer Fareed, secretary general of the Islamic Society of North America in Plainfield, Ind., said Islam, like Judaism, had no central authority like the pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Since the 9/11 attacks, American Muslims have become sensitised to an erosion of their civil rights, with a prevailing belief that America was targeting their faith. While recording the commercial, the imams and rabbis discussed the common and not-so-common grounds between their Abrahamic faiths.