[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 15 (Thursday, February 9, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S976-S977]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE CLIMATE OF TRUST PROGRAM

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal's Climate of Trust 
Program. The council's work in combating ethnic and religious hatred 
while strengthening tolerance and moderation in Russian society has 
made a great difference in the lives of all the program's participants.
  In 1998, a wave of anti-Semitic activity terrorized the Jewish 
population in a provincial town in northwest Russia. In response, the 
Bay Area Council established the Climate of Trust Program, a 
collaborative partnership between American and Russian police officers, 
local officials, human rights activists, and ethnic and religious 
community representatives dedicated to resolving conflicts peacefully 
and establishing an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect in 
Russia.
  It is fitting that the pilot program for the Climate of Trust began 
in one of the most diverse cities in the world, my hometown of San 
Francisco.
  In 2000, representatives of the San Francisco Police Department, the 
District Attorney's Office, the California Superior Court, and the 
Anti-Defamation League went to Russia to join their counterparts in a 
seminar on religious tolerance. The participants continued the dialogue 
when the Russian delegates traveled to San Francisco later that year.
  In total, seven of these exchanges have now taken place. During these 
meetings, attendees discuss a wide variety of issues including hate 
crime laws in the United States, how hate incidents are investigated, 
elements of a hate crime and its impact on the community, diversity in 
the police department, and community policing.
  These interactions culminated in the establishment of four permanent 
regional tolerance centers in Russia. These centers design and 
implement activities that promote tolerance and effective communication 
between law enforcement and the community.
  Organized and run by Russian police officers and community members 
alike, the centers sponsor hate crimes courses for police cadets to 
identify and handle ethnic or religious violence and produce a 
tolerance textbook for high school students.
  From its modest beginning in 1998, the Climate of Trust has grown 
into a far-reaching and effective program. Thousands of Russians, from 
small town police officers to federal government officials, have 
attended Climate of Trust seminars and workshops.
  The success of this program is due in no small part to the hard work 
of the

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Bay Area Council, USAID, and, most importantly, the team of American 
volunteers and their Russian counterparts who have worked together to 
develop new models for promoting tolerance and diversity.
  We have all witnessed the tragic consequences of ethnic hatred and 
religious intolerance. It is our solemn obligation to work together to 
ensure that tolerance and understanding prevails. I commend and 
congratulate the Climate of Trust Program of the Bay Area Council for 
Jewish Rescue and Renewal for their tireless efforts in these areas, 
and I look forward to working with them again in the future.

                          ____________________