GATHERING OF EUROPEAN MUSLIM AND JEWISH LEADERS

Transcription

1 GATHERING OF EUROPEAN MUSLIM AND JEWISH LEADERS Brussels, 6 December 2010 BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Grand Mufti Dr. Mustafa Ceric Dr. Mustafa Ceric is the Raisu-l-Ulama of Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Grand Mufti of Bosnia since He is also the Grand Mufti of Sanjak, Croatia and Slovenia. He served as an imam (Islamic Cultural Center, Chicago and Islamic Center of Zagreb, Croatia) and professor in Bosnia (Faculty of Islamic Schiences), Malaysia (International Institute for Islamic Thought and Civilization, Kulalulumpur) and the United States (American Islamic College, Chicago). He is the co-recipient of the 2003 UNESCO Felix Houphoet Boigny Peace Prize for Contribution to World Peace and recipient of the International Council of Christians and Jews Annual Sir Sternberg Award for exceptional contribution to interfaith understanding. He has delivered numerous lectures and led several workshops on interreligious and interfaith issues at local and international conferences. Imam Hassen Chalghoumi Hassen Chalghoumi is the imam of the Drancy mosque in Seine-Saint- Denis (near Paris) and one of France s best known and most outspoken Muslim leaders. He is often considered an icon of moderate Islam in France and has received a great deal of attention for taking a public position against fullface coverings in France and for a law that would ban them. In 2009 he founded the Conference of Imams, an organisation to improve interfaith relations in France. Born in Tunis in 1972, he studied in Syria and Pakistan before moving to France in 1996.

2 Rabbi Jaron Engelmayer Community rabbi of the jewish community in Cologne. Born 1976 and grew up in Zurich, Switzerland. Ordinated as Rabbi by the chief Rabbinate of Israel after ten years of studies at yeshivot (talmud highschools), serving as community rabbi in Germany since 2005, first in Aachen and than in Köln/Cologne. Since 2008 member of the board of the ORD (conference of orthodox rabbis in Germany). Married and father of three children. Rabbi Herschel Gluck Currently based in Stoke Newington, Rabbi Herschel Gluck is honorary secretary of the Arab-Jewish Forum and is chairman and founder of the Muslim-Jewish Forum. Established in 2000, the Forum was the first of its type in the world. It deals with a broad range of issues which are of concern to both communities and also serves a role in preventing and defusing tensions. Rabbi Marc Raphaël Guedj Founded and runs the Geneva based Roots & Sources Foundation, which aims to: Share and transmit universal values of Judaism Promote peace through dialogue to overcome identity crises Develop interfaith dialogue and research in an interdisciplinary fashion The Foundation has partnered with the Faculty of Theology at the University of Geneva and the World Council of Churches. Speaks regularly at the UN, the Council of Europe and the World Congress of Imams and Rabbis. Dr. Moshe Kantor Moshe Kantor was born on September 8, 1953 in Moscow (Russia). In 1976, he graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) and did research for NPO Spektr at MAI. In 1981, he received a PhD in technical sciences. After graduating from the Moscow Aviation Institute, Mr. Kantor headed a leading Soviet laboratory and was actively engaged in spacecraft design research. His scientific research was used to develop a reflector satellite used to illuminate the planet s surface with reflected sunlight and solve a number of practical scientific tasks.

3 In 2000, Kantor became President of the National Institute of Corporate Reform (NICR), whose activities support Russian corporations and facilitate the promotion of Russian enterprises on the international commodity and stock markets. NICR unites renowned politicians, business leaders and scholars. Since 2005 President of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC), a leading Russian secular organisation that represents the interests of the whole spectrum of modern Russian Jewry Initiated and organised the first 'Let My People Live!' International Forum in Krakow, Poland, to mark 60 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Since 2005 Founder and President of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation (WHF), established following the Krakow Forum. The Foundation s goal is to support Holocaust remembrance activities for the sake of preserving the historical memory of nations all over the world and preventing future tragedies Became President of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, which was established pursuant to the decision of the International Conference held in Luxembourg on May 24-25, Since 2007 President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC); Chairman of the EJC Board of Governors. Shaikha Halima Krausen Shaikha Halima Krausen was born in Aachen, Germany into a Catholic/Protestant family. She became Muslim in her early teens, eventually learning Arabic and studying with visiting Muslim scholars and travelling extensively in the Muslim world. In 1992, she completed her studies in Hamburg that included Islamic Law and Theology with Imam Razvi, the leading scholar in Hamburg's Muslim Community, as well as Islamic studies, Christian Theology and Comparative Religion at the university. Shaikha Halima is currently the Imam for the German speaking Muslims in Hamburg Mosque.From she was part of a team that produced a German translation of the Qur'an with commentary notes, and afterwards was involved in translating some volumes of Hadith and Islamic law as well. In 1985, Shaikha Halima became a founding member of the Inter-Religious Dialogue Circle at the Department of Theology at Hamburg University. Finally, in 1993 she helped found the educational institute Initiative for Islamic Studies and succeeded Imam Razvi as the head of the German-speaking community when he retired from active service. She contributed to several books on interfaith studies and wrote a number of articles on various Islamic and inter-religious subjects. She teaches regularly in London and across Europe and is particularly interested in inter-faith dialogue. Shaikha Halima and An-Nisa Society Since 1992 she has been a regular visiting scholar for An-Nisa Society running intensive Islamic Studies courses for Muslim women. In 2004 the course became open to participants from all faiths and to both women and men. Shaikha Halima's unique text-based way of working has increased the demand for her to return to Britain several times a year to run courses on other issues.

4 The result is 5 different strands of workshops which include: 1. Islamic Studies 2. Jewish Muslim Dialogue 3. Islamic History 4. Healing the Self (spiritual health and well-being) 5. Philosophy Apart from the text-based workshops Shaikha Halima has contributed extensively to the development of many of our regular projects such as Islamic Counselling, sexual health, women's issues and education. Rabbi Dr. Joseph Levi Rabbi Dr. Joseph Levi is a chief orthodox Rabbi of Florence since Born in Israel of an Italian rabbinic family he completed his rabbinic studies in Israel at the Harry Fischel-Ariel Institute and ordained by chief Rabbi of Haifa Rabbi Shear Yashuv ha-kohen. Beside his rabbinic studies at Ariel and Rabbi Kook Yeshiva Rabbi Levi has advanced academic degrees in Jewish studies (M.A,), Clinical Psychology (Ph.D.) and Jewish Philosophy and taught (M.A.). He taught Jewish thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem. He is a former president of the Israeli organization Rabbis for Human Rights,and since his arrival to Florence and Italy he is strongly involved in interreligious dialogue, both with Islamic and Christian communities in Italy. In frame of these activities he is a program coordinator of Jewish Studies at the Cardinal Bea Centre for Jewish studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome which train future clergy men all over the world. For his civil, human and dialogue activities Rabbi Levi received an important Tuscan award ( the Poppi prize). Rabbi Levi has published numerous articles on Jewish and biblical thought and inter religious dialogue. Rabbi Dr Reuben Livingstone Rabbi, Shomrei Hadath Synagogue, Hampstead, London, UK. Previously, Senior Rabbi Hampstead Garden Suburb United Synagogue. Senior Jewish Chaplain and Advisor on Faith Matters to the British Forces Lecturer in Jewish Law, Kings College, University of London Senior Examiner in Rabbinics, Montefiore College, London Founder, London Centre for Faith Studies Barrister of the Inner Temple, London UK Solicitor of the Supreme Court, UK Principal, CreativeMediators.com - Experts in Alternative Dispute Resolution [ADR] Professional Conduct Adjudicator to UK Regulatory Bodies Chairman, Children of Abraham - Rabbis and Imams Dialogue Trust Chairman, Talking Matters Trust Director, Jewish Law Publication Society Published in academic and popular media on Jewish Law and Judaism.

5 Dr. Richard Prasquier First elected as President of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) in 2007, Richard Prasquier was re-elected for a 2 nd term in June He has been on the board of CRIF since 1998 and before his election as President he was chairman of it s Jewish-Christian and International Relations Committees. He is also President of the French Committee for Yad Vashem and chairs the Solidarity Committee of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah. Rabbi Marc Schneier Rabbi Marc Schneier is the 18 th generation of a distinguished rabbinic dynasty. He is an international figure who is known for his innovative leadership in the promotion of dialogue and cooperation in intergroup and race relations. As a prominent leader of the Jewish community, Rabbi Schneier has emerged in the forefront of combating anti-semitism and Islamophobia in the Jewish and Muslim communities around the world. He serves as Vice President of the World Jewish Congress, Honorary Chairman of the World Jewish Congress United States and spearheads its Commission on Intergroup Relations; Founder and President of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (1990) of which Russell Simmons is Chairman; and Founding Rabbi of The Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach and The New York Synagogue in Manhattan. He has been honored by the United States Congress and the State of Israel as an advocate for human and civil rights and religious and ethnic tolerance. In 2009, Rabbi Schneier was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta. A trailblazer in the field of Muslim Jewish relations, Rabbi Schneier created and spearheaded the annual Weekend of Twinning of Mosques and Synagogues across the globe (2008,2009,2010); Mission of 28 European Imams and Rabbis to the United States (2009); and the first Summit of Rabbis and Imams in New York (2007). He was appointed to the Steering Committee of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia s World Conference Dialogue, convened in Madrid (2008) and in Vienna (2009). An accomplished author and a foremost voice in the field of Black Jewish relations, Rabbi Schneier s book, Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Jewish Community, was published in 2000 which documents Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his relationship with the Jewish community. With accompanying student guide programs, the book tells the tale of Black and Jewish cooperation in the civil rights era to more than 12,000 students in more than 500 high schools, Hillel houses and historically Black colleges across America. An acclaimed speaker, Rabbi Schneier represented the Jewish community in such events as: Inaugural Interfaith Gathering at the Democratic National Convention (2008); 40 th anniversary commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta (2008); World Conference on Dialogue convened by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (2008); Southern Christian Leadership Conference s 50 th annual convention (2008); NAACP Centennial convention (2009); National dinner of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (2008); National convention of the Islamic Society of North America (2009); and Doha International Conference on Interfaith Dialogue (2009,2010).

6 Named one of the 50 most prominent Jews in the United States by The Forward and one of America's top 50 rabbis by Newsweek Magazine, he served as President of the North American Board of Rabbis and the New York Board of Rabbis. He is recipient of many awards, including The Kelly Miller Smith Ecumenical Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, The NAACP Martin Luther King, Jr. "Measure Of A Man Award", The Ellis Island Medal of Honor, The Civil Rights Leadership Award in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., The New York State Martin Luther King, Jr. Medal, the American Civil Rights Education Services Civil Rights Award, and the Interfaith Award from the Islamic Center of Long Island. Born and raised in New York City, Rabbi Schneier is a graduate of Yeshiva University and currently divides his time between New York City and Westhampton Beach. Rabbi Michel Serfaty Rabbi Michel Serfaty emigrated to France in the 1960s. He has been the rabbi of the community of Ris-Orangis, a suburb southeast of Paris, since He played in the European Cup basketball with the Alliance team in Morocco, and was the mainstay of the SA Sports Menorah, the club created by Jean Kahn, the former president of the Consistory Central and the Jewish community of Strasbourg to integrate Jews of North African origin with the Ashkenazi Jews of Strasbourg. Serfaty was the captain of Maccabi France for over 12 years. He then chose an academic career and is now one of the few French specialists in the study of Massorah (Hebrew lexicography). Michel Serfaty has long been engaged in interfaith dialogue, both local and national level. Professor at the University of Nancy 2, he chaired the Commission for Relations with other religions "of the Presbytery of Paris. He is also president of the Jewish-Muslim Friendship of France and of the association (DPM-Deportation Persecution-Memory). Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi Imam and Religious Director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, Garden Grove, California, since Chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America, since President of the Academy of Judaic, Christian and Islamic Studies at UCLA for the term Adjunct Professor of Islamic Studies at Chapman University, Orange, California Dr. Siddiqi has worked with many Islamic organizations in Switzerland, England and the United States. He served two terms ( ) as President of the Islamic Society of North America. He is a founding member of the Council of 100 of the World Economic Forum based in Switzerland. The Council aims to foster dialogue and better relations between Islam and the West.

7 He has taught courses on Islam and world religions at several international universities. Dr. Siddiqi is the current President of the Academy of Judaic-Christian and Islamic Studies at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). He has participated in many inter-religious dialogues. In September 2001 on the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance he was invited by President George Bush to lead a Muslim Prayer at the Interfaith Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral. In September 2006 he was again invited by President Bush to lead an interfaith prayer on the 5 th Anniversary of 9/11 at Ground Zero in New York. Dr. Siddiqi received the Humanitarian of the Year Award in 1999 from the National Council of Christians and Jews. Russell Simmons Forbes Magazine recently named Russell Simmons one of Hollywood s Most Influential Celebrities. USA Today named Russell Simmons one of the Top 25 Most Influential People of the Past 25 Years, calling him a hip-hop pioneer for his groundbreaking vision that has influenced music, fashion, finance, the jewelry industry, television and film, as well as the face of modern philanthropy. From creating his seminal Def Jam Recordings in 1984, to the 2007 publishing of his New York Times best-seller Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success, Russell is recognized globally for his influence and entrepreneurial approach to both business and philanthropy. Giving back is of primary importance to him in all aspects of life and as Chairman and CEO of Rush Communications, he has consistently leveraged his influence in the recording industry, fashion, television, financial services, and jewelry sectors to give back. A devoted yogi, Russell also leads the non-profit division of his empire, Rush Community Affairs, and its ongoing commitment to empowering at-risk youth through education, the arts, and social engagement. Russell also serves as UN Goodwill Ambassador for The Permanent Memorial To Honor The Victims Of Slavery and The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Russell is currently appearing on the new Oxygen network docu-series Running Russell Simmons. Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, is an award winning human rights advocate, lecturer, writer, environmental activist and champion of civil society worldwide who is active in a wide variety of progressive, humanitarian, and interfaith organizations and initiatives. Born in 1943 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Rabbi Soetendorp saved by a righteous couple and survived as a hidden child.' He went on to receive his ordination from Leo Baeck College of London in 1967 and was instrumental in the reestablishment of Jewish communities in the Netherlands. Rabbi Soetendorp was extremely active in the movement to free Soviet Jewry, serving as the Dutch chair of the Solidarity Committee for Jews in the Soviet Union and was a member of the World Council for Soviet Jewry. He is the rabbi emeritus of congregation Beth Jehuda in The Hague and former president of the European region of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Rabbi Soetendorp is a founding member of Green Cross International and founder and chair of the Day of Respect Foundation, as well as the Hope for Children Fund which promotes universal education for

8 children. He serves as an Earth Charter commissioner and a Millennium Development Ambassador. Rabbi Soetendorp is a founding member of the Islam and the West dialogue group, formerly C100, of the World Economic Forum. Among others, he has received the Peacebuilders Award from The Alliance for International Conflict Prevention and Resolution in 2005, the "Peace Through Dialogue", Interfaith Gold Medallion from the International Council of Christian and Jews in 2007, and most recently the James Parks Morton Interfaith Award from the Interfaith Center of New York, early in In 1994, he was honoured by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands with the Royal Distinction as an Officer of the House of Orange. Dr. Maram Stern Dr. Maram Stern is the Deputy Secretary General of the World Jewish Congress [WJC], the umbrella organisation representing all Jewish communities in over 80 countries world-wide, since In January 2005 he was also elected as an Honorary Vice President of the WJC. Dr. Stern is also responsible for WJC participation in inter-religious dialogue and consultations with the Christian churches and other faiths. From 1983 to 1988 Dr. Stern served as President of the European Union of Jewish Students, the youth arm of the WJC. In 1988 he became Counsellor of the WJC and in 1989 was appointed Political Advisor to the President and to the Secretary General of the WJC.