Bush on Religious Rights - 05.24.2002

 

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Shai Franklin (202-898-2500)

In Moscow, President Bush Stresses Religious Rights  

NCSJ welcomed remarks by President George W. Bush in support of religious freedom in Russia.  "Freedom of religion and separation of church and state are so important, so important so that people can worship as they choose -- Jews, Muslims and all Christians, and all religions," the President said to religious and community leaders earlier today at Spaso House in Moscow .

NCSJ leadership are available for comment during and after the President’s visit in Russia, and additional information and links are available online at www.ncsj.org.

According to the Moscow Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the President’s remarks were strong and to the point. Recalling his private conversation with the President, Rabbi Goldschmidt said, "I was impressed with his knowledge and depth of commitment to the concerns of the Russian Jewish community."

"The President’s meeting proves that the road to freedom creates opportunities for religious and civic expressions, and President Bush meeting with dozens of organizations representing multiple faiths and interests underscores the commitment of the United States to encourage pluralism in the Russian Federation," said NCSJ Chairman Harold Paul Luks.

Yevgeny Satanovsky, President of the Russian Jewish Congress, said he came away from the meeting with very warm and positive feelings about President Bush. He was most impressed with the President’s call for a real partnership between the United States and Russia.

NCSJ President Robert J. Meth stated, "We appreciate the Administration’s ongoing, day-to-day emphasis on human rights in the former Soviet Union, particularly the treatment of Jews and other minorities, and outreach to community leadership."

Among other leaders in Russian Jewish community who attended the roundtable for non-governmental organizations, where the President made his statement, were the Chief Rabbis of Russia, Rabbi Adolph Shayevich and Rabbi Berel Lazar; Chief Reform Rabbi Grigory Kotliar; Zinovy Kogan, Executive Director of the Congress of Jewish Religious Communities in Russia (KEROOR); prominent community activist Leonid Nevzlin; and Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz, Executive Director of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Yesterday, addressing the German Bundestag, President Bush said, "A Russia at peace with its neighbors, respecting the legitimate rights of minorities, is welcome in Europe." This Sunday, President Bush is scheduled to meet at the St. Petersburg Choral Synagogue with a delegation of Russian Jewish leaders from a variety of community organizations and denominations.

The United States Senate yesterday passed major trade legislation that included an amendment supporting President Bush’s Russia-related initiatives as he visits Moscow and St. Petersburg. The amendment, introduced by Senator Charles Grassley (R-KS), stresses religious freedom and human rights, outreach to the Russian Jewish community, the eventual removal of Russia from the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, the fight against terrorism, containing the Iraqi threat, and NATO-Russia partnership.

NCSJ has been working in close consultation with senior Administration officials and key Members of Congress in advance of the President’s trip to Russia, to help maximize his opportunity for meetings with Russian Jewish leaders and addressing religious freedom and Iran ties.

NCSJ: Advocates on behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States & Eurasia – a voluntary, not-for-profit agency created in 1971, is the mandated central coordinating agency of the organized American Jewish community for policy and activities on behalf of the estimated 1.5 million Jews in the former Soviet Union. NCSJ comprises nearly 50 national organizations and over 300 local federations, community councils and committees across the United States. Through this extensive network, NCSJ mobilizes the resources, energies and talents of millions of U.S. citizens, and also represents the American Jewish community in dealings with similar national groups abroad, and at international fora.

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