Jul 16, 2024
USCIRF Welcomes Senator Mitch McConnell’s Appointment of Meir Soloveichik to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Washington, DC – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced on July 10, 2024 the appointment of Meir Soloveichik to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
“We are thrilled to welcome Meir Soloveichik’s appointment to the Commission,” stated USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck. “The experience he brings to USCIRF will be instrumental in continuing the promotion of freedom of religion or belief abroad.”
Meir Soloveichik serves as the rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in Manhattan, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. He is also director of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University. Soloveichik has a strong background in academia and has lectured internationally to diverse audiences on topics relating to faith in America, the Hebraic roots of the American founding, Jewish theology, Jewish-Christian relations, and more. Soloveichik attended Yeshiva University where he received his rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He received his PhD in religion from Princeton University and is a Senior Scholar at Tikvah, a think tank and educational institution in New York City. In 2018, Soloveichik was awarded the Canterbury Medal for his work on behalf of religious liberty by the Becket Fund.
“Meir Soloveichik brings a wealth of knowledge on religious freedom issues that will benefit the Commission greatly,” USCIRF Vice Chair Eric Ueland added. “We look forward to working with him to further advance USCIRF’s mandate.”
USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].
Jul 24
Jul 24th 10:30am
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
Deteriorating Religious Freedom Conditions in Nicaragua
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
10:30 AM-12:00 PM ET
Virtual
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) held a virtual hearing on deteriorating religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua and suggested policy options for the U.S. government.
Since 2018, the Nicaraguan government has severely restricted freedom of religion or belief. Catholic clergymen and laypeople have been arbitrarily arrested, imprisoned, and exiled. Catholic charitable and educational organizations have been shuttered on false allegations of money laundering and failure to properly register with authorities. Uniformed and plain clothes officers routinely monitor, harass, and intimidate worshipers during peaceful religious processions. The government has targeted Evangelical pastors as well, sentencing 11 such pastors in March 2024 to imprisonment on spurious money laundering charges. In addition, religious leaders and worshipers in Indigenous communities, including members of the Moravian Church, face harassment and intimidation for peacefully practicing their faith.
Witnesses discussed Nicaragua’s repressive governance framework and the authorities’ severe crackdown against the Catholic, Protestant, and Indigenous religious communities. They also explored further policy options for the U.S. government to foster improved religious freedom conditions in the country to help stem the relentless persecution of religious communities in Nicaragua beyond holding government officials accountable for religious freedom violations.
Opening Remarks
- Stephen Schneck, Chair, USCIRF
- Maureen Ferguson, Commissioner, USCIRF
Written Remarks
Panel
- Christopher Hernandez-Roy, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Written Testimony - Felix Maradiaga, Trustee, Freedom House and Exiled Nicaraguan Human Rights Activist
Written Testimony - Jon Britton Hancock, Founder and President, Mountain Gateway Ministry
Written Testimony - Anexa Alfred, Member of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and exiled Miskitu leader
Written Testimony
This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions or to schedule an interview, please email [email protected].
Jul 3, 2024
In 1998, Republicans and Democrats came together to pass the International Religious Freedom Act, creating USCIRF as an independent government Commission led by a bipartisan group of nine Commissioners appointed by both political party leaders in Congress, and by the president. Twenty-five years later, USCIRF’s Commissioners continue to lead the non-partisan staff to monitor egregious religious freedom violations around the world and to make independent policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress.
On today’s episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck and Vice Chair Eric Ueland join us to discuss USCIRF's bipartisan nature and its unique framework to ensure international religious freedom remains a bipartisan issue in U.S. foreign policy.
Read USCIRF’s 2024 Annual Report