On April 5th, the Interfaith Center of New York will hold a full-day conference for the city’s religious and civic leaders, exploring the emerging challenges for religious leadership under the presidency of Donald Trump. In the afternoon, a panel discussion will be held on Interfaith Solidarity & Emerging Muslim-Jewish Alliances. The panelists:
Cheikh Ahmed Mbareck was born in 1970 and raised in Mauritania. Upon arrival to the United States, Mr. Mbareck has become a leading voice on Muslim issues. He is the founder of New York Coalition Against Islamophobia. Mr. Mbareck is also the Executive Director of the Majlis Ashura (Islamic Leadership Council) of Metropolitan New York. It is the largest coalition of mosques in New York City, with over 83 members. As a distinguished Muslim leader, he engages in interfaith organizing dedicated to promoting understanding and harmony. He is active in doing outreach to marginalized migrant, Muslim communities and is involved in public advocacy, coalition building, civic engagement and community organizing. He has multiple degrees and is fluent in multiple languages.
Rabbi Robert (Bob) Kaplan is currently the founding Director of The Center for Community Leadership, a division of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC), the central coordinating and resource body for 62 major Jewish organizations in the metropolitan New York area. Mr. Kaplan is involved in a variety of issues including conflict resolution, coalition building, interracial/inter-religious relationships, combating hate crimes, and community building. He has served on the Board of Habitat for Humanity- NY and Health Plus and currently serves on the Boards of the Lutheran Medical Center and the Lutheran Family Health Care Centers as well as the Board of the Center of Ethnic and Community Media at the City University of New York. Amongst the leadership initiatives he has founded are; YouthBridge-NY, the We Are All Brooklyn, and Queens, We Are the Bronx, Community Connections, and Haitian Leaders Fellowships.
This conference is a professional development and capacity building opportunity for religious leaders, allowing faith leaders to learn about social issues, create networks for mutual support, and meet civic leaders and service providers. We invite all concerned New York City faith leaders to attend this retreat to share your actions and ideas, and explore opportunities to work together to address the concerns of your communities.
