Marc Schneier (born January 26, 1959) is an American

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

and president of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. Schneier previously served as vice-president of the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress's main purpose is to act as ...

Career

According to '' Tablet'', Schneier "is a polarizing figure. To his supporters, eis a peerless institution-builder and community leader. To his detractors, he's indulged an appetite for fame and wealth while plowing his way through five marriages, destroying fragile bonds of trust with his congregants in the process." In 1999, Schneier authored the book ''Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community'' which is the first reference to the Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend, an open letter allegedly written by

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

which was later determined to be a hoax. Interreligious-Meeting - Mustafa Ceric - Herman Van-Rompuy-Marc-Schneier - Abdujalil Sajid - Brussels 2010

Schneier has also worked together with Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR), the American Muslim advocacy organization, which the organized American Jewish community has long viewed as "out of bounds" for its alleged ties to the Palestinian terrorist organization

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

and its broader anti-Israel activity and rhetoric. The

Rabbinical Council of America The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union (OU). ...

(RCA) decided in 2010 to investigate Rabbi Schneier for breaching the code of ethics by carrying on an extramarital relationship. The RCA executive committee voted to expel Schneier in June 2015. In 2013, Schneier co-authored with Imam Shamsi Ali the book ''Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation about the Issues That Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims''. In 2018, ''Tablet'' reported that Schneier helped connect the

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

i government to Jewish American lobbyist Nicolas Muzin. In 2017 Qatar hired Nick Muzin to improve its relations with the Trump administration and the

Jewish American American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by culture, ethnicity, or religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of American Jews identify as Ashkenazi, 3% id ...

community. Muzin's work reportedly included arranging meetings between Qatari officials and leaders of Jewish and pro-Israel advocacy groups.

Personal life

For his 50th birthday, his fourth wife, Tobi Rubinstein-Schneier, arranged for a 400 lb. endangered Asian lion to be donated in his honor at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. The lion was renamed "Rabbi Marc". Schneier married his 5th wife, on October 6, 2013. Schneier married his 6th wife, Simi Teitelbaum, in 2017. In February 2018, it was reported that the State of Florida has ordered Schneier pay $5,000 a month for $64,594 in unpaid child support he owes to his third wife for the care of their then-19 year old son. He is the son of Rabbi Arthur Schneier.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schneier, Marc American Orthodox rabbis Living people Jewish American anti-racism activists American anti-racism activists Yeshiva University alumni 1959 births 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis People in interfaith dialogue People with bipolar disorder