Some national Jewish organizations joined a coalition of religious groups calling on the Washington Metro system to donate profits from an anti-Islam ad to charity.

"The placing of offensive, anti-Muslim ads in the D.C. Metro system is an important opportunity to affirm our commitment both to free speech and to a society that deplores hate and hate speech," said Rabbi Batya Steinlauf, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington's director of social justice and interfaith initiatives, and president of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington. "We are all part of one community," she said.

The ad, currently running in four train stations throughout the Washington area, reads, "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad." It was sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative.

Monday's news conference was organized by the 28-member Shoulder-to-Shoulder: Standing with American Muslims, Upholding American Values and United Methodist Women. The coalition of Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups released a letter signed by 168 religious clergy members.

The letter states that the "ads espouse inaccurate and inflammatory stereotypes about American Muslims. These ads equate generalized 'savages' with 'jihad,' dangerously painting all Muslims as savages and suggesting that these generalized 'savages' must be defeated."

Major Jewish organizations participating include Rabbis for Human Rights-North America, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and the Union for Reform Judaism.

JTA, 16 October 2012

See also Jack Moline and Clark Lobenstine, "Anti-Jihad Metro ads: An interfaith response to hatred", Washington Post, 15 October 2012

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A Southern California interfaith coalition today expressed "deep shock and alarm" over the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles' decision to offer a platform to the leader of an anti-Muslim hate group.

Pamela Geller, who will deliver a lecture this morning on "Islamic Jew-Hatred: The Root Cause of the Failure to Achieve Peace," is co-founder of Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), an organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and author of a book offering step-by-step instructions on how to stop mosque construction in America.

The interfaith coalition released the following statement:

"We are extremely shocked and alarmed to see a mainstream Jewish organization associating itself with one of the nation's leading Islamophobes who doesn't hesitate to share the podium with European racists and whose admirers apparently include Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik. Religious leaders and institutions have an increased and urgent responsibility to promote tolerance and mutual understanding among all Americans, instead of giving aid and comfort to fear-mongers like Geller. Imagine how hurt Jewish community members would be, and rightly so, if they discovered American Muslims hosting an anti-Semitic speaker."

CAIR press release, 23 June 2012

See also Richard Silverstein, "Los Angeles Jewish Federation hosts, endorses Pam Geller's Islamophobia", Tikun Olam, 23 June 2012

Via Loonwatch

Update:  Good news! See "Jewish surrender: LA Jewish Federation submits to Hamas-linked Muslim groups, cancels Geller event", Atlas Shrugs, 24 June 2012

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