Jewish and Muslim clergy gathered for the first American summit of rabbis and imams. Organized by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, the summit Wednesday in New York brought together a hand-picked group of some 25 rabbis and imams from major cities across the country. Sessions explored commonalities between Jewish and Muslim approaches to ritual and texts. Workshops were intended to promote cooperation between synagogues and mosques on issues of mutual concern.
The summit concluded with a dinner hosted by the World Jewish Congress and attended by its president, Ronald Lauder. Rabbi Marc Schneier founder and president of the foundation, told reporters the summit presented a unique window of opportunity to bring clergy together and project a voice of moderation and tolerance to the world. “At the end of the day, clergy would like to engage other clergy,” Schneier said. “No question.” The summit was expected to produce a concluding statement pledging to continue the dialogue.
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