Rabbi Marc Schneier and Russell Simmons

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER: The Jewish community simply cannot fight this battle alone. And, you know, fighting antisemitism is not exclusively a Jewish issue.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: Right. Antisemitism is just another form of racism. It's the same sickness, whether it's about Christians, about Islamophobia, which is horrible. It's all wrong. It's all the same.

DANIEL GREENE: Russell Simmons is a co-founder of the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings and creator of the Phat Farm sportswear brand. Marc Schneier is an Orthodox rabbi. Though they are perhaps not the likeliest of partners, Simmons and Schneier serve as chairman and president of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. In their work and in their friendship, they embody the principles of the foundation, which promotes face-to-face dialog as a means of combating discrimination.

Welcome to Voices on Antisemitism, a free podcast series of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I'm Daniel Greene. Every other week, we invite a guest to reflect about the many ways that antisemitism and hatred influence our world today. Here are Russell Simmons and Rabbi Marc Schneier.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: Hi. I'm Russell Simmons.

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER: I'm Rabbi Marc Schneier.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: Well, I think the idea that people are aggressively working on Black-Jewish and on Muslim-Jewish and on, and just dialogue with all ethnicities and religions is a blessed action. And that kind of spirit translates.

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER: My understanding in terms of my mandate as a rabbi, or what I was taught by my father, that as a spiritual leader, I need to make both a spiritual contribution and a political contribution.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: And the whole idea that the best defense for any group of people is what we do to defend other people. That idea. To spread that idea is a great part of it. I mean, Rabbi can tell you. Tell us.

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER: Our greatest challenge is the Jewish-Muslim piece. But I know the success that we have enjoyed in bringing ethnicities together. And that's really our, that's our shared passion, trying to create some kind of relationship engaging Jews and Muslims in this country and see if we can set that standard.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: I think that for the Jews to fight antisemitism, the best way to fight it is by fighting Islamophobia. And for Muslims to fight Islamophobia, the best thing they could do is fight antisemitism, because you're only as good as what you do for others. You can't defend yourself and not defend others, because you will not get the blessing you think you're chasing. So you have to do for others what you want for yourself. And that's how you're lifted, by lifting others.

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER: And, you know, after 2000 years of our people's persecution and oppression and subjugation, and all the horrors, we are enjoined in the Bible that...remember that we too were strangers in Egypt. And that we too must fight and protect the rights of others.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: And, I'm going to try to point that out, when people get disconnected, point out that they have the same suffering and same kind of history, and that they have a shared history. As Rabbi Schneier says, shared history, shared--

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER: --shared dreams.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: Shared dreams, that's right.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: I think we're looking at a whole world full of people on the fence. And you're looking at people who would be fundamentalists or would be loving people. And it depends on the moves that we make, what they become. The world will become what we envision it to be. And if we are fearful, and we think we should tense up and prepare for an ongoing battle, then that's what we'll have. But if we are open and we prepare for promoting dialogue and love, and a better understanding of each other, and tolerance and so forth, that's what the world will become, a more tolerant, loving place. So each individual that stands up is a part of a bigger prayer.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: And, you know, every day we all make mistakes ourselves, but, and we all sometimes have some...harbor some prejudices and all, but we have to know in our heart it's wrong. And we all want to remember that we are connected. And that any kind of racism is wrong. Antisemitism is racism, it's wrong. And, you know, and we have to fight all racism. And that's just something that we have to do if we want to stomp out any particular kind. It's all the same, and it's all because we're disconnected. That's what it is.

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER: And whether it's the Holocaust, whether it's Darfur, whether it's Islamophobia, no one should have to fight their battles alone. And I believe that's what this partnership brings to the table, that no one should have to fight--

RUSSELL SIMMONS: --alone.

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER: --their battles alone.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: That's right. That's exactly right.

DANIEL GREENE: Voices on Antisemitism is a free podcast series of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Join us every other week to hear a new perspective on the continuing threat of antisemitism in our world today. We would appreciate your feedback on this series. Please visit our website, www.ushmm.org.