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THE
INSTITUTE
ON
RELIGION
AND
PUBLIC
POLICY
INSTITUTE
NEWS
NEWSLETTER
ARCHIVE
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APRIL
/
MAY,
2000
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Faith in Action
Online Edition
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April/May 2000
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Volume 2, Number 4(o)
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1101 15th Street NW; Suite 115; Washington, DC 20005
Tel: (202) 835-8760 Fax: (734) 423-6153
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Passover and Easter Greetings from the Institute
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The Institute on Religion and Public Policy wishes Christians around the world peace on the resurrection of Jesus Christ during this Jubilee Year.
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The Institute on Religion and Public Policy wishes Jews good fellowship and the blessings of Passover.
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Representative Anna Eshoo, Dr. Eve Epstein, & Sri Chinmoy Join IRPP Board (Read Below)
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Wellspring of Freedom Program to Host Discussion of International Religious Freedom Report
On May 1, 2000 the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released its first report on religious freedom. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to give independent recommendations to the executive branch and to Congress. This first report of the Commission will establish a precedent for future reports, and have a great impact on US bilateral relations with the countries mentioned in the report. Its structure, content, and consequences will determine the direction of many important religious freedom issues.
Consequently, the Wellspring of Freedom Program of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy is holding a discussion entitled Report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom: Impact on Religious Freedom and US Foreign Policy on May 12, 2000 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Capitol Hill. Speakers include Elliott Abrams, Commission Member, and President, Ethics and Public Policy Center; Lee Boothby, Vice President, International Academy for Freedom of Religion and Belief; Bob Destro, Dean, Columbus School of Law; Tom Farr, Office of International Religious Freedom, US State Department; Steve McFarland, Executive Director, US Commission on International Religious Freedom; Reverend Robert Traer, World Conference on Religion and Peace. For more information, or to RSVP, contact the Institute at 202-835-8760 or via e-mail at IRPP@religionandpolicy.org.
IRPP Welcomes New Board Members (From Above)
Representative Anna Eshoo represents California's high-tech intensive 14th District, serving on the House Committee on Commerce. Her subcommittee assignments include the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection and the Subcommittee on Health and Environment. The Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over high technology, biotechnology, health, and the environment. Beyond her committee assignments, Rep. Eshoo has obtained a leadership position as an At-Large Minority Whip. In addition, Rep. Eshoo co-chairs the House Medical Technology Caucus, which addresses regulatory issues facing the medical technology industry. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Democratic Study Group, a congressional membership organization that has played an important role in reforming House rules and public policy for over 30 years. Rep. Eshoo is also a member of the New Democratic Coalition, a group of moderate, pro-technology Democrats that concentrates on business and budget issues.
Eve Epstein, described by the press as "the speech doctor to the rich and famous," and "the savvy speech doctor who turns deal makers and diplomats into convincing communicators," has been a Communications Educator and Consultant for over eighteen years. Executives, salespeople, professionals, and celebrities have benefited from the original strategic communications training methods she developed during the course of her dynamic career. Dr. Epstein's credentials include an M.A., M.Ed., and a Ph.D. in Communications from Columbia and Temple Universities. She has held academic appointments at Queens College/CUNY, William Paterson College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Dr. Epstein is the author of articles published in communications journals, has presented papers at national and regional communications conferences, and was a Research Associate with The Communications Association of America.
Sri Chinmoy is a leading advocate of world peace and has been a confidant and spiritual advisor to many world leaders. He is also a vigorous author, musician, athlete, and spiritual leader. He is the author of over 1,000 books of poetry, plays, essays, stories and lectures, which he has given at many universities around the world. He has performed at more than 300 concerts dedicated to peace. In 1994, he completed five million drawings of birds which were presented to the public in a spectacular four-story gallery in Ottawa, Canada. Since that time, he has continued to draw birds, which symbolize peace and freedom, at a phenomenal rate.
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In Memory of a Friend ...
In coordination with Mrs. Ksenia Kuzmycz, the Institute on Religion and Public Policy has established the George Kuzmycz Nuclear Non-proliferation Lifeline Project to honor the memory of her late husband. George died in an automobile accident in Crimea in 1997 while on a mission for the U.S. Department of Energy to secure weapons-usable nuclear material against the possibility of theft or diversion for weapons purposes. George dedicated himself to the security of the United States and the world, to preventing nuclear proliferation, to making nuclear power safer, to helping democracy grow in his ancestral home of Ukraine. George was well known and respected in the nonproliferation community, the U.S. Government, and around the world. His tragic passing was a blow to the hearts of many people and an irreplaceable loss to important efforts to make the world a safer and better place.
The dedication of this new program to George's memory will help religious communities and others remember his service as a guiding light to further five objectives: preventing nuclear proliferation, protecting critical national infrastructures, promoting nuclear safety, promoting friendship and cooperation between the United States and Ukraine, and training the next generation of international security practitioners.
Initial activities under this program include observer participation by Institute staff members at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference currently underway at the United Nations. IRPP Vice President for Programs and Policy Doug Shaw has discussed the health of the Treaty regime with members of the delegations of Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, Nigeria, Switzerland and the observer delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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In late April Institute President Joseph Grieboski traveled to California to advance the Institute's fundraising, programs, and projects with its West Coast supporters. While there, he met with Institute Board Member and Actor Dean Jones, who also heads the Christian Rescue Committee, and his wife, author Lory Basham Jones.
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IRPP Board Member Hosts Eritrean President
On Monday April 10, Institute Board Member Dr. Ephraim Isaac of Princeton University hosted President Issaias Afwerki of Eritrea, pictured at left. President Issaias spoke of the continuing conflict with Ethiopia, the humanitarian tragedies resulting from the coming drought, and how all these issues affect relations of the countries on the Horn of Africa. President Issaias was in the United States on a private visit. Dr. Isaac has been instrumental in trying to bring peace to the region. For more information on Dr. Isaac's work, please contact the Institute's offices in Washington.
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Shop and Support IRPP
Access Barnes & Noble through the IRPP website and part of each purchase of books, music, posters, software and magazines will be donated to the Institute at no extra cost to you. Just click here for the IRPP bookstore and then click on the Barnes & Noble logo, shop, and a portion of each dollar you spend will go toward supporting IRPP programs.
IRS Recognizes IRPP as a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
In a letter dated February 11, 2000, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service informed us that they have determined that the Institute on Religion and Public Policy is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in section 501(c)(3). Your contributions to the Institute have been tax-deductible since our initial application was acknowledged by the IRS. However, with this determination, you can have increased confidence that your donations will continue to be so. As a non-profit organization, the Institute relies entirely on private donations and grants to conduct its programs, and your contributions are much needed and valued. We hope you will allow us to include you in our work by making a $100 annual contribution that will allow us to send this monthly newsletter to your home or office.
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1101 15th Street NW, Suite 115, Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 835-8760 Email: IRPP@ReligionAndPolicy.org
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