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Rabbi Meir Soloveichik appointed to US religious freedom commission

The rabbi of the oldest U.S. congregation “brings a wealth of knowledge on religious freedom issues,” the commision vice chair said.

Trump Soloveichik
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside Rabbi Meir Soloveichik at a Chanukah reception in the East Room of the White House on Dec. 7, 2017. Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) appointed Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, of the Manhattan Orthodox synagogue Congregation Shearith Israel, to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom earlier this month.

The rabbi, who holds a doctorate in religion from Princeton University, directs Yeshiva University’s Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought.

He “brings a wealth of knowledge on religious freedom issues that will benefit the commission greatly,” stated Eric Ueland, vice chair of the commission, an independent federal entity that advises the president, secretary of state and Congress on issues related to religious persecution and freedom.

Soloveichik was a guest on JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin’s podcast last August.

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