Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Cantor Estherleon Schwartz to Present Gratitude Circles Project

PRESS RELEASE  PRESS RELEASE  PRESS RELEASE  PRESS RELEASE

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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