Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on March 21, 2024

On Monday, April 8, 2024, at 12:30 PM, the Sudreau Global Justice Institute, in partnership with the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, will feature two former International Religious Freedom ambassadors who will address bipartisan strategies related to international religious freedom. Sam Brownback, who served under President Trumps administration, and Rabbi David Saperstein, who served under President Obamas administration, will speak broadly about the importance of the United States advancing religious freedom around the world, how the two pursued international religious freedom both in and out of government, and how the right and left can work together in pursuit of it. The discussion will be moderated by Pete Peterson, dean of the School of Public Policy, and held in the Caruso Auditorium on the Malibu campus.

Brownback served as the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom from February 2018 to January 2021. He served as the 46th governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018 and prior to that represented his home state in the US Senate and the House of Representatives. While a member of the Senate, he worked actively on the issue of religious freedom in multiple countries and was a key sponsor of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Prior to his public service, Brownback practiced law and taught agricultural law at Kansas State University. He earned a bachelor of science from Kansas State University and a juris doctor from the University of Kansas. Ambassador Brownback currently serves as co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit and is a Senior Fellow at Global Christian Relief. He is also chair of the National Committee for Religious Freedom.

For 40 years, Rabbi Saperstein directed the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, representing the Reform Jewish Movement, the largest segment of American Jewry, to the US Congress and administration. During President Obamas second second term, Rabbi Saperstein served as the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, carrying out his responsibilities as the countrys chief diplomat on religious freedom issues. Since leaving government, he has served as the senior advisor on policy and strategy to the Union for Reform Judaism. As an attorney, he taught seminars on church-state law and on Jewish law for 35 years at the Georgetown University Law Center. From 2019 to 2020, Rabbi Saperstein served as the president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, the international arm of the Reform Jewish Movement.

He currently serves as a co-chair of the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network and was a Distinguished Fellow at the PM Glynn Center at the Australian Catholic University.

Attendees will enjoy catered lunch from Chick-fil-A at noon prior to the discussion. The event is free to attend, however, registration is required.

Read more:

Pepperdine to Host Ambassadors Sam Brownback and Rabbi David Saperstein to Discuss Bipartisan Approaches to ... - Pepperdine University Newsroom

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