Global Address for Muslim-Jewish Relations

By Itamar Eichner January 09, 2022 For the first time: a rabbi receives a regular column in a Saudi newspaper

Arab News, the leading Saudi newspaper published in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, has appointed senior Orthodox Rabbi Marc Schneier as a regular columnist for the paper. "This is another expression of the change that the Middle East is undergoing towards Jews and Israel," the rabbi told Ynet. Another sign of the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and the State of Israel and the Jewish world: The respected Saudi newspaper, "Arab News", recently appointed Rabbi Marc Schneier as a regular columnist for the newspaper. The rabbi will publish articles on current affairs twice a month. Schneier is the first rabbi to write for a Saudi newspaper on a regular basis. He told Ynet that he is not surprised: "It is part of the whole process of change and transformation that is happening in the Gulf." Arab News is the leading English-language newspaper published in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf. Schneier will write twice a week for the newspaper on a variety of topics: interfaith dialogue, Israel's ties with the Gulf, cultural issues related to the Jewish and Muslim world and more.

The first column he published called on Arab countries not to give up on US President Joe Biden, as far as US foreign policy in the Middle East is concerned for the change that the Middle East is undergoing towards Jews and Israel. "It did not surprise me" It is not surprising that a Saudi newspaper is the first to employ a rabbi as a regular columnist. "Let's remember that the whole interfaith wave growing in the Gulf began with the former King of Saudi Arabia, who convened the first interfaith conference in 2008. He wanted Islam to reach out to other Western religions, especially Christianity and Judaism. I participated in this evolution as part of the warm acceptance of religious Abraham traditions. This is also a recognition of the changes in the Gulf."

Rabbi Marc Schneier with the late King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Rabbi Marc Schneier is a well-known American rabbi who founded and heads the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. For the past 15 years, Rabbi Schneier has been warmly received in the palaces of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Rabbi Schneier was previously defined by Newsweek magazine as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in the United States. He serves as an adviser to the King of Bahrain, and frequently visits the Gulf states.

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