30,000 Junior and Senior High School Students to Read and Study George Washington's 'Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, RI' of 1790 with State and City Officials on February 22 - Washington's 278th Birthday

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayor David Cicilline will read and study George Washington's "Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, RI" of 1790 with an assembly of 100 students at the Met School Equality Building in Providence on February 22 at 9:00 a.m.  Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr., founder of the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom (GWIRF) will join the mayor to speak to the students. Other mayors and statewide officials will visit schools across the state to encourage dialogue among students, educators and government officials about the history and meaning of the Washington Letter and the value of religious freedom in our nation.  The statewide program is a partnership between the Office of the Governor, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and GWIRF.

Administrators and faculty will distribute nearly 30,000 commemorative letter packages to juniors and seniors in Rhode Island's public, private and parochial schools on the first president's birthday – February 22. The packages are provided courtesy of the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom and are part of the educational initiative sponsored by the foundation.

"From the time of its founding by Roger Williams, Rhode Island has been home to the principle of religious freedom in America.  I'm pleased that we can be the first state in GWIRF's nationwide effort to educate students on the message of the George Washington letter," said Mayor Cicilline. "I'm looking forward to engaging with Providence Met school students in a discussion about the critical role of religious freedom in our nation's history."

The expected attendees of the February 22 assembly include Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr. and government officials, including: Mayor David Cicilline; Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts; General Treasurer Frank Caprio; Attorney General Patrick Lynch; Sec. of State A. Ralph Mollis; Mayor Allan Fung of Cranston; Mayor Jeanne-Marie Napolitano of Newport; Mayor Charles Lombardi of North Providence; Mayor Scott Avedisian of Warwick.

About GWIRF:  The George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom, founded by Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr., built and opened the Loeb Visitors Center at Touro Synagogue in Newport. The Institute's mission is to promote awareness of the historic roots of religious freedom and the separation of church and state: the bedrock of American democracy.  Its objectives are to become a teaching resource, particularly for high school students, for understanding these concepts as articulated by the nation's founders; to create a curriculum and accompanying materials for high school students nationwide; to educate the American public about the significance of the George Washington Letter of 1790; to forge collaborations/partnerships with other groups advocating for religious freedom in general and separation of church and state in particular; and to create a traveling exhibition based on the exhibits in the Loeb Visitors Center.

Additional information and materials for educators and students are available at www.gwirf.org.

SOURCE George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom

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