Religious leaders from across faith traditions unite in Washington D.C. to confront hatred, protect religious freedom, and strengthen security for communities of faith

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid rising attacks targeting houses of worship and people of faith across the United States, the Appeal of Conscience Foundation joined Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice today for a high-level meeting of religious leaders focused on strengthening efforts to protect places of worship and confront religious hatred.

Held at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., the gathering focused on strengthening cooperation among government, religious institutions, and faith-based communities to safeguard places of worship and reaffirm the right of all Americans to practice their faith free from violence, threats, or intimidation.

"The normalization of heinous attacks on houses of worship and people of faith across the United States must not only be addressed with urgency but stopped before one more life is lost," said Karen Schneier Dresbach, Executive Vice President of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. "As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who saw his synagogue in Vienna burn to the ground, and whose synagogue in New York has been targeted by hostile protests twice in the past year, this is deeply personal to me. I commend Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon and the Department of Justice for their commitment to protecting religious liberty and prosecuting those who attack and desecrate houses of worship. Working together, we can help ensure that people of faith are able to worship safely and freely."

An extraordinary gathering with a single purpose

The meeting brought together leaders representing a broad range of religious traditions, including Catholic Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu leaders, alongside the Appeal of Conscience Foundation and representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice.

"No American should ever fear violence for simply practicing their faith," said Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. "The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division has zero tolerance for attacks on houses of worship, and we will continue to investigate and prosecute those who target Americans because of their religion. I'm grateful to the Appeal of Conscience Foundation and the faith leaders gathered here today for their partnership in this work. Protecting religious liberty is a fundamental American value, and this Department will keep fighting to defend it."

"Attacking a house of worship hits the jugular vein of every faith community," says Rabbi Arthur Schneier, founder and president of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation.

Participants discussed threats facing their respective communities, the responsibility of faith leaders to stand together when any religious community is targeted, and steps that religious institutions and government can take collectively to protect houses of worship and combat religious hatred. The meeting supported the U.S. Department of Justice's zero-tolerance policy toward violations of Americans' religious liberty and its active prosecution of those who attack and desecrate houses of worship.

"It is in this spirit of mutual concern that we gather today, united not by fear, but by love – love for our own faithful and for our neighbor," said H.E. Archbishop Elpidophoros, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. "By seeking to ensure that all places of worship are protected, and that our freedom to worship is safeguarded, we choose to remain resolute in the face of fear, hatred, and violence."

"When one faith community is attacked, we all are wounded," said Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan Primate, Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. "We must stand together to protect every house of worship and every person's right to practice their faith in safety and peace. An attack on your freedom is an attack on our freedom."

The program included remarks from representatives of the Department of Justice and the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, a panel discussion for faith leaders, an invocation, the issuance of a public statement by participating religious leaders read by His Grace The Rt. Rev. Irinej Dobrijevic, and a benediction by H.E. Archbishop Elpidophoros.

In that statement, the faith leaders called for stronger legislation to protect houses of worship and for the creation of an ongoing body of religious leaders to monitor threats and work in tandem with the Department of Justice to help ensure that people of faith can worship safely. The leaders also reaffirmed that the protection of religious liberty and the free exercise of religion are fundamental First Amendment rights.

Calling for stronger cooperation

The convening comes amid continuing concern over attacks against churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and other houses of worship across the United States. The meeting was held on August 27, the first anniversary of the attack at Annunciation Church in which two children were killed and 21 people were injured, and five days after the United Nations international observance commemorating victims of religious attacks. The Appeal of Conscience Foundation has consistently condemned violence, threats and intimidation directed toward people of faith and has called for stronger cooperation to protect religious communities.

For more than six decades, the Appeal of Conscience Foundation has worked to advance religious freedom, human rights, peaceful coexistence and interreligious cooperation. The Foundation has long advocated for the protection of houses of worship and for religious leaders to stand together against hatred and violence targeting any faith community.

PARTICIPANTS

• Ms. Sheri Bronstein, Chief People Officer, Bank of America
• H.E. Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to the United States
• Dr. Jasdip Chandhok, Founder and Chairman of Sikhs of America
• Hon. Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice
• Mr. Lawrence Di Rita, Greater Washington D.C. Market President, Bank of America 
• His Grace The Rt. Rev. Irinej Dobrijevic, Bishop of Eastern America, Serbian Orthodox Church, Diocese of Eastern America; Trustee, Appeal of Conscience Foundation
• Sheikh Musa Drammeh, President, Muslims-Israel Dialogue
• Ms. Karen Schneier Dresbach, Executive Vice President, Appeal of Conscience Foundation
• Rabbi Ira Ebbin, Senior Rabbi, Congregation Ohav Sholom
• H.E. Archbishop Elpidophoros, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; Exarch of Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; Trustee, Appeal of Conscience Foundation
• Reverend Dr. Nicolas Kazarian, Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne, Director, Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Executive Assistant to Chairman, Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America
• Bishop Vashti McKenzie, President and General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Christ (NCCC) in the USA
• Dr. Susan Michael, President, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) USA 
• Hon. John D. Negroponte, Vice Chairman of McLarty Associates; Trustee, Appeal of Conscience Foundation
• Archdeacon Dionysios Papiris, Director, Office of the Archbishop, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
• Very Rev. Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America; Trustee, Appeal of Conscience Foundation
• Dr. Akshar N. Patel, Board Member, BAPS Northeast, and Senior Outreach Volunteer 
• Rev. Msgr. Andrea Piccioni, First Counsellor, Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See to the United States
• Mr. Edward J. Pozzuoli, CEO, Tripp Scott
• Swami Parmatmananda Saraswati, General Secretary, Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha
• Bishop Robert Stearns, Founder and President, Eagle's Wings Ministries
• V. Rev. Protopresbyter Vasilije Vranic, Dean of the Washington Deanery, The Serbian Orthodox Church

About Appeal of Conscience Foundation:

Founded in 1965 by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, the Appeal of Conscience Foundation has worked worldwide on behalf of religious freedom, human rights and the protection of Houses of Worship. This coalition of business and religious leaders remains at the forefront of promoting mutual understanding and cooperation amongst people of faith, standing against voices that spread bias, hatred, and division. The Foundation believes that to heal our wounded world, we must emerge as a united human family, seeking improvement by advancing peaceful coexistence and 'Respect the Other.'

www.appealofconscience.org

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SOURCE Appeal of Conscience Foundation