Young Muslims and Jews gathered together for the second annual ‘Muslim Jewish Conference’ (MJC) 2011, held 3-8 July in Kiev, Ukraine. Students and young professionals from more than 25 countries came together to work towards achieving a feat that many describe as impossible: stepping beyond the boundaries of non-communication and stereotyping in order to build a new global political movement by young Muslim and Jewish people committed to developing a language of mutual respect.

The first MJC was held in Vienna in 2010, under the official Patronage of the Austrian President, Heinz Fischer. This year, under the patronage of Russell Simmons and Rabbi Marc Schneier, the message of this grassroots movement is being spread globally. As in 2010, the 2011 conference was endorsed by the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Alliance of Civilizations.

The theme of the MJC 2011 was a “Call for Action.” In three committees, concrete projects were created by the conference participants, with the aim of implementing them on the ground in their respective communities.

Ukrainian politicians and ambassadors – including parliamentarian and philanthropist Aleksandr Feldman, who was named as one of the most influential Ukrainians – showed their strong support for the MJC by attending the conference’s opening ceremony, which was hosted by the Ukranian Jewish Committee at a hotel in the heart of Kiev.