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

(JNS) 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.