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STATE OF FORMATION Weekly

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum hosts Contributing Scholars

By Benjamin Barer

On Thursday, April 3rd, State of Formation had the privilege to partner with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for a day-long tour of the museum followed by conversations about genocide, the roles of religious institutions during the Holocaust, and the complicity of ordinary citizens. This unique opportunity came about as a result of historian Victoria Barnett being the guest curator for the May 2014 issue of the Journal of Inter-Religious Studies.  As part of the upcoming issue, we wanted to be able to highlight voices of emerging leaders who are dedicated to inter-relgious education.  Dr. Barnett’s own work focuses on teaching about the Holocaust in interfaith settings, and we were very lucky to have such a knowledgeable guide and thoughtful pedagogue for the day.
 
In addition to Dr. Barnett, participants got to hear from Krista Hegburg, an expert on the Czechoslovakian Roma population; Leah Wolfson, whose work focuses on the Jewish responses to the Holocaust; Alioune Deme, a visiting scholar from Senegal, whose work focuses on the experience of the Holocaust in Senegal; and Ron Coleman one of the Museum’s librarians, who spoke about the efforts of the American Quaker community to rescue Jews from Nazi Germany.
 
We hope to feature reflections from the participants on SoF in the coming weeks, and stay tuned for the JIRS issue in May!

Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy Receives National Award for Mental Health Publication

Prestigious "Best in Class" Designation from Religion Communicators Council Highlights Intersection of Faith and Public Policy


Austin, TX--The Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy received four awards at the Religion Communicators Council's 85th annual DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards ceremony held April 3rd in Nashville, TN. The awards include the "Best in Class" award for the publication Wondering About Mental Health and the New Health Insurance Marketplace?

  

Interfaith Center Executive Director Bee Moorhead said the awards confirm the importance of the Center's voice at the intersection of faith and democracy. "In recognizing our work for its exceptional effectiveness, creativity and quality, the judges also affirmed the value of robust, faith-based contributions to the public discourse on issues ranging from support for individuals with mental illness to global climate policy," Moorhead said.

 

Interfaith Center board president Anne Sapp said the awards affirm the religious and policy expertise of Center staff. "It's exciting to see our staff recognized for their important contributions to American religious communication alongside such distinguished colleagues," Sapp said.

Produced with the support of the Meadows Foundation, Wondering About Mental Health and the New Health Insurance Marketplace? is a popular education brochure explaining mental health and substance abuse benefits included in the Affordable Care Act. The publication is intended for use by pastors, chaplains, and other religious professionals as well as for broad distribution in pastoral care and community outreach ministries. It is available in English and Spanish in hard copy and online.

 

Other Interfaith Center publications receiving awards this year include:
The Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy is a faith-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2011, providing theologically grounded public policy analysis to people of faith and other Texans. The Center is the research and education partner of Texas Impact, a 501(c)(4) interfaith legislative advocacy network.

 

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC), founded in 1929, is an interfaith association of religion communicators at work in print and electronic communication, marketing and in public relations. The annual DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards are given to active members of RCC who demonstrate excellence in religious communication and public relations. The awards are named in honor of the late Victor DeRose and the late Paul M. Hinkhouse, leading lithographers in New York City and long-time friends of the RCC.

 

This year RCC received 212 entries in the DeRose-Hinkhouse competition. Other winners included national publications such as Presbyterians Today, international organizations such as the United Methodist Committee on Relief and Buckner International, and denominational efforts such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Facebook Advent campaign.

 

RCC also sponsors the annual Wilbur Awards, which recognize excellence in the communication of religious issues, values and themes in secular media. The Wilbur Awards have been presented annually since 1949. This year's winners include CBS-TV, the Religion News Service, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, The History Channel, The Christian Science Monitor Weekly and The Huffington Post.

 

More information about the Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy is available at http://www.texasinterfaithcenter.org

 

More information about RCC and the DeRose-Hinkhouse and Wilbur awards is available at http://www.religioncommunicators.org

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State of Formation is a forum for emerging religious and ethical leaders. State of Formation, founded as an offshoot of the Journal of Inter-Religious Studies (JIRS), is a program of CIRCLE, The Center for Interreligious and Communal Leadership education at Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School.