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CONTACT: Gail Blair – 818-783-8824
MEETING: GRATITUDE CIRCLES TO REPLACE
PRAYER IN OUR SCHOOLS
ATTENDEES: Cantor
Estherleon Schwartz - http://www.estherleon.com
Daniel
Tamm, Mayor Eric Garcetti's Westside Area Representative
Abigail
Roth, LAUSD - http://www.lausd.net/
DATE: Wednesday, May 14, 2014
TIME: 1:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Office of LAUSD Board Member, Steve
Zimmer
1075
N. Western Ave. #110
Los
Angeles 90029
DESCRIPTION: Gratitude
Circles will create unity by:
Building
real trust
Developing
stronger, more rewarding relationships
Communicating
fairly, effectively and positively
Coping
with various cultures, backgrounds and faiths
Retention
of individuality and enjoying others’ uniqueness
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE - Monday, May 12, 2014
A New Project of Goodwill by CANTOR ESTHERLEON SCHWARTZ
New Public Prayer
Controversy in the United States; Is There Hope for Our Youth in Need of Compassion
and Unity?
The recent Supreme Court's decision to allow Christian
prayers at public meetings puts non-Christians in an awkward situation and sets
the stage for blowback while providing opportunity.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – May 12, 2014 - As Christian prayer
gets a foothold in United States binding Church with State, non-Christians are
creating a call-to-action to band together in an effort to keep prayer out of
school to help dispel discrimination and conformity. (A viewpoint taken
seriously in the 1962 decision, Engel v. Vitale, and the 1963 decision, Abington
School District v. Schempp. And further
emphasized under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment referring to
state sponsored activities that “Must neither advance nor inhibit religion;”
and “Must not result in an excessive entanglement between government and
religion.”)
Although many people who engage in some sort of spiritual
connectedness do include prayer in their practice, not everyone wants to
combine Church and State, but neither do they want war, but peace. According to a recent article in the
Huffington Post, “Of all America's wars over the past century, only World War
II has retained mass public approval.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-wittner/when-will-they-ever-learn_2_b_4557364.html
Perhaps the bigger question is this – how do cultures
unite by their differences to create unity; an essential element toward
peace? Cantor Estherleon Schwartz
challenges everyone to flip their thinking.
The Cantor suggests that we should not focus on what separates cultures
but instead, people should focus on the similarities between people.
So if not prayer, then what? Cantor Schwartz offers an alternative to
Christian prayer in public venues in the form of Gratitude Circles. Gratitude Circles offer a different kind of unity
experience designed to get people engaged with their lives as well as those
around them. By expressing gratitude openly,
the experience would bring the things people care about to forefront, many of
them similar in context. In doing so, Gratitude Circles combine basic and
fundamental moments associated with life cycles so people can gain insight,
understanding, and compassion about one another while growing together in
community.
About Cantor
Estherleon Schwartz
Estherleon Schwartz is a
French-born cantor who, along with her parents, evaded Nazi capture during
World War II. The Cantor obtained
American citizenship in 1948 and currently resides in Southern California. She is a Los Angeles based and community
leader; promoting an agenda which includes unity, peace, and anti-hunger
through music and the spoken word.
Cantor Estherleon Schwartz Website: http://www.estherleon.com
Beth Shirah (House of Song) Website: http://bethshirahhouseofson.wix.com/estherleonschwartz
Availability
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. and worldwide by
arrangement and via Skype or telephone.
Media Contact
Gail Blair: (818) 783-8824 gailblairmgmt@gmail.com
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