Russian Orthodox patriarch confers honor to US rabbi

An American rabbi has received the highest honor of the Russian Orthodox Church for his contribution to inter-religious dialogue. Rabbi Arthur Schneier, president of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation and spiritual leader of Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue, received the Order of St. Daniel on Monday from Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexij II. Schneier, who has known the patriarch for over 30 years, told the news agency JTA that the head of the Russian Orthodox Church was "very much concerned about manifestations of anti-Semitism in Russia.” Schneier added: “There is a nationalist wing in the church, but he (Alexij) is very much in control.”