[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S2946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        CONGREGATION KOL HAVERIM

 Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor 
Congregation Kol Haverim of Glastonbury, CT, in recognition of the 
groundbreaking for its new synagogue building held on April 13, 1997. 
Through sheer determination, a singleness of purpose and spirit, as 
well as the considerable generosity of its members and the community at 
large, this congregation of 200 families is now realizing a dream that 
no one would have thought possible only a few short years ago.
  Congregation Kol Haverim was formed only 13 years ago by a handful of 
Jewish families in the Glastonbury area, worshiping initially in the 
back-room of a local grocery store, and later purchasing a former 
Knights of Columbus hall that serves as its present one room home. Over 
the past 2 years, the congregation has raised over $1.3 million and its 
architects have designed a new building, to be added as an addition to 
the existing facility, that has been praised by local town planning and 
zoning officials as a model of design for new construction in the area.
  In addition to attending to the spiritual needs of its members 
through worship services and its ever-growing religious school, 
Congregation Kol Haverim has always tried to attend to the needs of the 
local community and Greater Hartford, as well, through its various 
adult education, community outreach, and other programs. Whether 
through sponsoring a lecture or the volunteers it regularly provides to 
local soup kitchens or its participation in area-wide food or clothing 
drives, Congregation Kol Haverim, like other houses of worship in the 
area, has always strived to give of itself to the surrounding 
communities from which it draws its strength. The new building will 
provide a pleasant and welcoming new home for sacred study, communal 
worship, and social action.
  I congratulate Congregation Kol Haverim, as it begins this new 
chapter in its existence. I thank its members for their initiative and 
all the good work they have done over the past 13 years, and I 
encourage them to continue to address all the good work that remains to 
be done.

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