[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 4, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               A TRIBUTE TO CONGREGATION TIFERETH ISRAEL

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                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 4, 1996

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport, Long Island, NY, a focal 
point of Jewish religious and cultural life on Long Island's North Fork 
since it was founded 95 years ago.
  Founded in 1901 by a few trail-blazing Jewish families, many of them 
merchants that settled near the North Fork's easternmost point, this 
sanctuary has flourished into a cornerstone of the Greenport community. 
On September 8, 1996, the Congregation Tifereth Israel, known to many 
as the Greenport Jewish Center, will celebrate its 95th anniversary.
  The temple's origins date back to the late 1800's, when these Jewish 
families came to this bucolic fishing village seeking an improved 
economic lifestyle in the countryside 100 miles east of New York City. 
The orthodox believers among them founded Tifereth Israel in October of 
1901 with the desire to build a synagogue to feed their spiritual 
hunger and to encourage development of a larger Jewish community.
  While the founders worked to raise the $1,430 needed to build the 
original temple, congregation members opened their homes for Sabbath 
and Holy Day services. By May of 1903 enough was raised to build a 
modest New England-style cottage that served as the synagogue. A devout 
Orthodox congregation, the synagogue was constructed with a balcony for 
female worshippers, a bina or dais in the sanctuary's center, and a 
ritual pool called a Mikvah in the basement. The Torah Ark was built 
against the rear wall and faced east, symbolizing the hope that 
Jerusalem would be restored as the capitol of Judaism and the sacred 
temple rebuilt to replace the one destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.
  When a rabbi was hired, the synagogue's board of directors required 
that he devote 3 hours each day to religious education. Education 
remains a vital component of the temple's activities that include a 
Hebrew school, Bar and Bat Mitzvah instruction, adult classes, lectures 
and intercongregational activities. To accommodate its membership, the 
synagogue was enlarged in the 1920's though the sanctuary was left 
intact. During the temple's life span a more ritual centrist Jewish 
population settled in the area affecting an ideological change in the 
synagogue's practices, including no longer segregating the genders 
during services and allowing women to become full participants in all 
rituals.
  Throughout its 95 years, Tifereth Israel has been deservedly known 
for its benevolent efforts, raising money for charities and offering 
assistance to needy members of the congregation and community a large. 
The synagogue's members are vital contributors to the Greenport 
Ecumenical Council, raising funds and aiding the needy of all faiths. 
Tifereth Israel congregants are also active supporters of the Patish 
Outreach effort at St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church.
  Just as importantly, the congregation has strived to preserve its 
Jewish heritage and offer its members spiritual sustenance. In that 
steadfast commitment to its own religious and cultural heritage, the 
synagogue has enriched the entire east end of Long Island. 
Congratulations, Tifereth Israel. Mazel Tov.

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