President Obama announced today that he will nominate Rabbi David Saperstein, longtime director and counsel of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, as the State Department’s Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
In his new post, he will be responsible for the State Department’s mission to “monitor religious persecution and discrimination worldwide, recommend and implement policies in respective regions or countries, and develop programs to promote religious freedom.”
“I am grateful that Rabbi Saperstein has chosen to dedicate his talent to serving the American people at this important time for our country,” President Obama said. “I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead.”
Rabbi Saperstein is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches First Amendment Church-State Law and Jewish Law. He was a Member of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships from 2010 to 2011, and served on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom from 1999 to 2001.
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