Rabbi Meir Soloveichik Elected Vice Chair of US Commission on International Religious Freedom

Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, director of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought and professor of Judaic Studies at YU, was unanimously elected as vice chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Feb. 11. 

The commision, an independent, bipartisan federal governmental entity, “uses international standards to monitor religious freedom violations globally,” according to its official website. 

Established in 1998 through the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), USCIRF ensures that U.S. policy condemns religious freedom violations and supports foreign governments in promoting and protecting religious rights. Based on the information it gathers, the commission provides foreign policy recommendations to the president, the secretary of state and Congress to help prevent religious persecution and “promote freedom of religion or belief.”

Soloveichik was appointed to a two-year term on the commission in 2024 by Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and will be eligible for reappointment when his term concludes in May 2026. He was elected vice chair following the departure of former Vice Chair Eric Ueland and will serve the remainder of Ueland’s term rather than a full term.

Ueland, also appointed to the commission by McConnell, left to pursue a new position in the Trump administration as acting chief of staff of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

“We thank former Vice Chair Ueland for his significant contributions to the Commission’s mission to advance freedom of religion or belief in U.S. foreign policy,” USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck said in the official announcement. “I am eager to continue our work with Vice Chair Soloveichik whose good nature, expertise, and passion will be essential contributions to leadership that advances USCIRF’s work.”

According to their website, USCIRF gathers information on religious freedom violations through on-site visits to selected countries. In 2024, the Commission visited 24 countries around the world. Commissioners also hold meetings with foreign officials, religious leaders, victims of religious intolerance, nongovernmental organizations, government agencies and international organizations. The information they collect is published in an annual report which includes policy recommendations for both the executive branch and Congress.

The commission consists of nine, non-governmental voting members and the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, who serves as a non-voting ex-officio member. Commissioners are selected based on their expertise in areas such as foreign affairs, human rights and international law and are ineligible for more than two terms. Members are chosen by the president and leaders of both parties in both chambers of Congress. The chair and vice chair are elected by the commissioners and rotated each year, with the vice chair coming from a different political party than the chair to maintain bipartisanship.

In addition to his work at YU, Soloveichik serves as the rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in Manhattan, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. He earned his rabbinic ordination from YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and holds a Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University. In 2018, he received the Canterbury Medal from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty in recognition of his advocacy for religious freedom.

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Photo Caption: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik

Photo Credit: Yeshiva University