by COLLive staff at COLLive
President Donald Trump has designated the individuals who will serve on the advisory boards of the Religious Liberty Commission, a federal advisory body tasked with safeguarding and promoting religious freedom in the United States.
Established in May 2025 under the White House Faith Office and Domestic Policy Council, it advises on protecting First Amendment religious freedoms in the U.S., addressing issues like attacks on houses of worship, debanking of religious entities, and conscience protections.
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It is chaired by Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick with Dr. Ben Carson as vice chair. The Commission includes clergy, legal experts, and advocates, and works alongside three advisory boards. Its mandate also includes supporting global religious freedom efforts and is set to conclude by July 4, 2026.
One of the 13 members of the Advisory Board of Religious Leaders is Rabbi Eitan Webb, who co-founded and directed the Chabad House of Princeton with his wife Gitty in 2002. He has served as a Jewish Chaplain at Princeton University since 2007. In addition to his service to university students, Rabbi Webb serves on the Chabad on Campus International Foundation’s board of directors and the Sinai Scholars Society, the White House said.
Other Jewish people named were Rabbi Mark Gottlieb, Chief Education Officer of the Tikvah Fund; Rabbi Yaakov Menken, Executive Vice President of the Coalition for Jewish Values; and Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Executive Vice President of Agudath Israel of America.
R’ Yehoshua Bedrick, a member of the Chabad community in Phoenix, Arizona, was appointed to the Advisory Board of Legal Experts. He previously served as a State Representative in New Hampshire before becoming an advocate for school choice. He was profiled in the Kislev 5785 edition of COLlive Magazine.
The White House statement read, “Jason Bedrick is a Research Fellow in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, where he focuses on policies that promote education freedom, religious liberty, classical education, and restoring the primary role of families in education. Bedrick is the co-editor and co-author of two books, including Educational Freedom: Remembering Andrew Coulson, Debating His Ideas and Religious Liberty and Education: A Case Study of Yeshivas vs. New York.”
Responding to the announcement, Bedrick wrote: “I am deeply honored and humbled to be appointed by President Trump to serve on the Religious Liberty Commission’s Advisory Board.
”At a time when the free exercise of religion is facing growing threats, I look forward to working with the other members of the commission and the advisory board to help safeguard America’s first freedom—the right to worship, believe, and live according to our religious convictions.”
Alyza Lewin, President of The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and co-founder and partner in Lewin & Lewin, LLP, was also selected. She specializes in litigation, mediation, and government relations and has experience in criminal defense, civil litigation, and anti-discrimination matters.
Photo credit: David Everett Strickler on Unsplash.