Newport, RI, -
This Sunday, August 16, 2009 at Touro
Synagogue in Newport, RI, United States
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse will be the
keynote speaker at the 62nd
annual reading of the famous George
Washington “Letter to the Hebrew
Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island” of
1790. Senator Whitehouse, a Newport
resident and the first person in the door of
the Loeb Visitors Center that opened on
August 2, said: “This is not only an
enormous contribution to Newport and Rhode
Island but also to the entire country. It
tells the story of religious freedom with
pictures and videos in a very user-friendly
way, accessible to all ages.”
Additionally,
four high school winners of national essay
contests, which deal with the relevance of
the Letter in today’s world, will be honored
at the 62nd Annual Reading of the
famed George Washington “Letter to the
Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode
Island” of 1790.
Two of the
winners will be in attendance at the
ceremonies: Hailey DiSpirito of Cumberland,
Rhode Island, one of three recipients of The
Rita and Aaron Slom Scholarship for
Diversity and Freedom; and Eric Antmann, an
entering senior at Cooper City High School,
Cooper City, Florida, who is the First-Place
Essay Winner of the 2008/2009 First Freedom
Student Competition, awarded by the First
Freedom Center in Richmond, Virginia. The
other two winners of the Slom Scholarship
for Diversity and Freedom, unable to attend
this Sunday, are Ariel Ehrlich of Highland
Park, IL; and Emily Thrift of Chester,
Virginia.
The Rita and
Aaron Slom Scholarship Fund for Diversity
and Freedom was created in 2003 by Elliott,
Peter and Michael Slom, in honor of the 50th
wedding anniversary of their parents, Rita
and the late Aaron Slom of Newport, Rhode
Island. The Fund has granted 13
scholarships to students from all parts of
the United States who have submitted winning
interpretations of the George Washington
Letter’s relevance to today.
The First
Freedom Center, Richmond, VA, was founded
“to increase understanding and respect for
religious freedom in diverse communities
worldwide, through education about this core
human value: the freedom of thought,
conscience and belief.” Each year since
1994, the First Freedom Center’s essay
competition topic asks students to reflect
on and research a particular aspect of
religious freedom. Ambassador John L. Loeb,
Jr., Chairman of the George Washington
Institute for Religious Freedom, sponsored
the 2008/2009 contest, which asked students
to write on the contemporary importance of
George Washington’s 1790 letter. This year’s
first-place essay was written by Eric
Antmann, who is accompanied by his English
teacher, Suzanne Margolin.
The Loeb
Visitors Center, opened on the campus of
Touro Synagogue after 12 years and $12
million, tells the story of religious
freedom in America. This story began in
Rhode Island in 1663 with the Royal Charter
between Roger Williams/John Clarke and King
Charles II. The Center further interprets
and celebrates the history and architecture
of Touro Synagogue, the oldest functioning
synagogue building in the nation, dedicated
in 1763.
To learn more
about Touro Synagogue, see
www.tourosynagogue.org. To read a copy
of the George Washington letter, visit the
newly-opened Loeb Visitors Center on the
Touro Synagogue Campus or see
www.loeb-tourovisitorscenter.org. For
further information about the First Freedom
Center, see
www.firstfreedom.org.