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Marc Schneier

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Marc Schneier
Born (1959-01-26) January 26, 1959 (age 65)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationRabbi

Marc Schneier (born January 26, 1959) is an American rabbi and president of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. Schneier previously served as vice-president of the World Jewish Congress.[1]

Career

According to Tablet, Schneier "is a polarizing figure. To his supporters, [he] is 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."[2]

In 2001, Schneier reportedly held a secret meeting with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, known for espousing antisemitic views.[3]

First Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish leaders in Brussels, December 2010 – left to right: Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric – European Council President Herman Van Rompuy – Rabbi Marc Schneier – Imam Dr. Abdujalil Sajid

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 and its broader anti-Israel activity and rhetoric.[4][5]

The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) decided in 2010 to investigate Rabbi Schneier for breaching the code of ethics by carrying on an extramarital relationship.[6][7][8] The RCA executive committee voted to expel Schneier in June 2015.[7]

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.[9]

Under pressure from his congregation for his multiple divorces and philandering, Schneier resigned in 2016 from his pulpit position at the Hampton Synagogue, which he had founded in 1990. Congregants had threatened to withhold pledges and payments until he left the synagogue.[10] At the time, his synagogue salary was $800,000.[11]

In 2018, Tablet reported that Schneier helped connect the Qatari 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 community. Muzin's work reportedly included arranging meetings between Qatari officials and leaders of Jewish and pro-Israel advocacy groups.[12]

Personal life

Sheikh Omar Abu-Namous, Rabbi Marc Schneier, and Imam Samer Alraey opening the U.S. national gathering of imams and rabbis on November 7, 2007, sponsored by Schneier's Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and the Islamic Cultural Center of New York in New York City

Rabbi Schneier has been married six times.[11]

His first, brief marriage, was to Elissa Shay, in 1981. They married while still studying at university.[11] He next married Esther Melamed around 1990; they divorced in 1992.[11][13] He remarried a year later to Toby Gotesman. They had one child, Brendan, in 1999.[10][11] Schneier divorced Gotesman due to his affair with Tobi Rubinstein in 2005; Rubinstein became his fourth wife a year later.[10] That marriage lasted five years,[10] again ending in divorce over an affar with Gitty Leiner, who became his 5th wife on October 6, 2013. Scheiner and Leiner had a daughter, Brooke, a few months later. They divorced in 2014. Schneier's sixth marriage, to Israeli Simi Teitelbaum, took place in March, 2017.[11]

In June 2010, during his fourth divorce proceedings, Schneier announced the divorce to his congregation, stating that he had been suffering from bi-polar disorder.[14] Ken Sunshine, a spokesman for Schneier, confirmed that the rabbi had been dealing with "a very serious illness."[14] Congregants expressed doubt.[10] Schneier married his 5th wife, on October 6, 2013.[15] 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.[16] The lion was renamed "Rabbi Marc".

It was during his fifth divorce that he resigned under pressure from his synagogue.

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.[13][17][18]

References

  1. ^ Ravid, Barak (April 21, 2014). "Abbas expected to send message of condolence for Holocaust victims". Ha'Aretz.
  2. ^ "Why Was Rabbi Marc Schneier Honored for Jewish American History Month?". Tablet. June 6, 2016.
  3. ^ "Farrakhan in Huddle with Rabbi". New York Post. June 13, 2001.
  4. ^ "We Don't CAIR To Talk to You". The Forward. December 18, 2015.
  5. ^ "Rabbi Crosses Communal Line to Work With Controversial Muslim Group". The Forward. June 18, 2016.
  6. ^ Rosenblatt, Gary (August 31, 2010). "Rabbinical Group Poised To Investigate Marc Schneier". The Jewish Week. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "RCA Confirms Expulsion of Rabbi Marc Schneier". The Forward. June 11, 2015.
  8. ^ Guttman, Nathan (June 12, 2015). "Marc Schneier Lashes Out at Rabbinic Group for 'Betraying' Him". The Forward. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  9. ^ Kellner, Mark A. (November 21, 2013). "KELLNER: Rabbi, imam plead for understanding in 'Sons of Abraham'". Washington Times.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Rabbi with 5 ex-wives, and a new fling, finally gets Hamptons boot". New York Post. April 24, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Richard (May 9, 2017). "Rabbi Marc Schneier marries wife No. 6". Page Six. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  12. ^ "Qatar and American Jews". Tablet. February 13, 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Rabbi Schneier, Back in the News For Skipping Child Support". Queens NY Divorce Lawyers - Queens NY Family Law Attorneys. February 15, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Famed rabbi & wife splitting". New York Post. Page Six. June 27, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  15. ^ Nemes, Hody (November 29, 2013). "Marc Schneier Gets Married (Again!) — and RCA May Move To Resolve Dispute". The Forward.
  16. ^ Birkner, Gabrielle (February 4, 2009). "The Rabbi That Roared". The Forward.
  17. ^ "Prominent NY rabbi accused of owing child support". The Jerusalem Post. February 10, 2019.
  18. ^ "'Randy rabbi' owes $65,000 in overdue child support". New York Post. February 9, 2019.
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