On Tuesday, August 27th, The Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities (IAFSC), in partnership with the Conference of European Rabbis, hosted their internationally recognized “Hate in Our World, Hate in Our City” workshop in Moscow. The global forum, which has been presented in numerous cities across the globe including New York, Berlin, Nairobi, and Paris, addresses the urgent need to educate community and faith leaders on the rise in hate crimes and how they can play a role within their communities to prevent them.
Religious leaders participated in round tables discussing the causes of hate crimes, their impact on individuals and communities, and possible actions that communities can take to prevent such crimes. Interactive breakout sessions covered topics related to hate crime offenders; societal, mental and environmental triggers; operational challenges; and the impact hate crimes have on both individuals and communities.
During the conference, participants repeatedly noted that inter-religious cooperation in Russia is developing very effectively. Following the conference, all participating members agreed to endorse a declaration taking action to preserve peace within their respective communities.
“We are proud to partner with the Conference of European Rabbis to host an educational workshop on the role of faith leaders in combatting hate crime in their communities. Through this interactive event, we were able to educate participants from several faith and community groups in Moscow and reinforce the importance of empowering faith leaders to take an active and effective role in the safety and security of their communities. We look forward to working with the Conference of European Rabbis on future projects.” – Dana Humaid, Executive Office of the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities.
“As president of the CER, I deal a lot with European Jewry. Anti-Semitism and xenophobia are growing in Europe, and this is a very big problem that affects European minorities. Russia, on the contrary, today can demonstrate to the world an example of mutual understanding between Muslims, Christians, Jews and representatives of other faiths. I am glad that at today's event representatives of various communities and organizations lively discuss current issues and make decisions that will help preserve interfaith peace and make the world around us better.” - Chief Rabbi of Moscow Pinchas Goldschmidt - President of the Conference of European Rabbis.
Prominent attendees at the workshop included Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt (Chief Rabbi of Moscow and President of the Conference of European Rabbis), Kanner Yury (President of the Russian Jewish Congress), Bokshitskaya Anna (Executive Director of the Russian Jewish Congress), Ryakhovsky Sergey Vasilievich (Chairman of the Pentecostal Russian United Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith) and Farid Asadullin (Advisor to the Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia).
