1. By Rabbi Steven Jacobs

2. 
Those who have belonged to the
congregations of Rabbi Steven Jacobs
appreciate his passion for smaller, more
intimate and creative forms of outreach and
fellowship. In 1984, Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs
banded together with a group of worshippers
to found the New Reform Congregation,
where he performed duties until 2007. Today,
he holds a leadership position at the
Progressive Faith Foundation.

3. 
In early February, leaders from Jewish and
Muslim communities throughout Greater Los
Angeles met to discuss founding an LA
Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee. The
goal of the proposed committee would be to
determine how to build stronger relationships
between the two communities and promote
cooperative efforts all year, every year.

4. 
The summit was held February 6-11 at the
Islamic Center of Southern California, a facility
whose representatives educate the public on the
practice of Islam. The committee, whose leaders
included Rabbi Steven Jacobs of the Progressive
Faith Foundation, set three primary goals. First,
to educate the Jewish and Muslim communities
about each other; second, to build a relationship
between the two groups strong enough that each
can stand up for the other during instances of
anti-Semitism and "Islamophobia." A third goal
was to create and manage social service events.

5. 
Other representatives at the meeting included
leaders from the Foundation for Ethnic
Understanding, a not-for-profit organization
devoted to Muslim-Jewish solidarity.