[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 29, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S3807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RABBI IRWIN GRONER AND ADAM CARDINAL MAIDA

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to two 
notable religious leaders from my home State of Michigan, Rabbi Irwin 
Groner and Adam Cardinal Maida. Rabbi Groner and Cardinal Maida are the 
recipients of the 1997 Dove Award, sponsored by the Ecumenical 
Institute for Jewish-Christian Studies.
  The Dove Award was created in 1994 to recognize Christian and Jewish 
religious leaders who work to promote closer relationships between the 
two communities. I have worked closely with both men throughout my 
career, and have been grateful for their advice, guidance, and 
friendship.
  Rabbi Groner leads Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, MI. An 
internationally recognized spiritual leader, Rabbi Groner serves as the 
president of the Michigan Board of rabbis and is a member of the board 
of governors of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and the 
Rabbinic Cabinet of the United Jewish Appeal. His writings on spiritual 
and social issues are published monthly in the Jewish News and appear 
regularly in periodicals of the Conservative Jewish Movement. From 1990 
to 1992, Rabbi Groner served as the president of the Rabbinical 
Assembly, an international association of 1200 conservative rabbis. He 
was the first clergyman to be named to the Judicial Tenure Commission 
of Michigan.
  Adam Cardinal Maida arrived in Detroit in 1990 as archbishop of the 
Archdiocese of Detroit. In 1990, he was elevated to the College of 
Cardinals by Pope John Paul II. Cardinal Maida has put commitment to 
youth into action by joining Baptist, Episcopalian, and Lutheran 
leaders in creating cornerstone schools, which offer 
interdenominational educational programs to children in Detroit. 
Cardinal Maida has continually attempted to break down the walls which 
exist in our society, emphasizing the importance of voluntarism, 
reaching out to Detroit's Hispanic community and working with political 
leaders to craft solutions to a number of social problems.
  In 1992, Rabbi Groner, Cardinal Maida, and Episcopal Bishop R. 
Stewart Wood founded the Religious Leaders Forum, which encourages 
Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders to share their views on issues of 
concern. Activities like this have not only provided Rabbi Groner and 
Cardinal Maida with opportunities to work together, but they have 
cemented a personal friendship as well. Together, they are building 
bridges for people of the Christian and Jewish faiths to cross.
  It is a real honor to recognize the achievements of these remarkable 
men. I know my colleagues join me in congratulating Rabbi Irwin Groner 
and Adam Cardinal Maida as they receive the 1997 Dove Award from the 
Ecumenical Institute.

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