Rabbi Noam Marans Appointed AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations

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Dec 16, 2010, 11:11 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rabbi Noam Marans has been named AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. He succeeds Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, who is retiring from AJC at the end of the year.

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"Rabbi Marans has the experience, motivation and vision to lead AJC's pioneering interreligious and intergroup relations efforts, strengthening current ties and building new ones with an expanding list of faith and ethnic groups," said AJC Executive Director David Harris.

Rabbi Marans, who first joined the AJC staff in 2001, has served as Associate Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations since May 2009.

He led AJC's constructive engagement with the directors of the controversial Oberammergau Passion Play, a dialogue that resulted earlier this year in significant changes to the production that mitigated historic anti-Jewish elements. Marans traveled several times to Oberammergau, Germany, the last visit joining with Archbishop Timothy Dolan in viewing the play.

"It is humbling to follow in the footsteps of legendary Rabbis Marc Tanenbaum and James Rudin, who forged AJC's groundbreaking work in advancing Christian-Jewish understanding," said Rabbi Marans.

"I have benefited immensely from the guidance of my predecessor and mentor, Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, and look forward to working closely with Rabbi David Rosen, AJC's International Director of Interreligious Affairs, as AJC continues its century-long leadership in interreligious and intergroup relations."

Prior to joining the AJC staff as Associate Director of Contemporary Jewish Life in 2001, Marans served as rabbi of Temple Israel in Ridgewood, New Jersey, where he established interfaith dialogue and education programs that are models for other communities.

Rabbi Marans earned his undergraduate degree in political science at Columbia University and rabbinic ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Rabbi Greenebaum's retirement caps two decades of dedicated service and achievements at AJC. He served from 1990 – 2006 as Director of AJC's Los Angeles regional office, followed by his tenure as National Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations.

www.ajc.org

SOURCE American Jewish Committee