[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 110 (Wednesday, August 1, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF ASTORIA CENTER OF ISRAEL

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                          HON. JOSEPH CROWLEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 31, 2001

  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in celebration of the 75th 
anniversary of The Astoria Center of Israel, one of the oldest and most 
venerable Conservative synagogues in my district.
  Since its inception in 1926 the Astoria Center of Israel has been a 
bulwark of the Conservative Jewish community, as it provides a center 
for civic leadership, spiritual enrichment, and cultural relations.
  Mr. Speaker, this congregation has always been a vibrant one.
  In May of 1926, Financial, House, Membership, and Junior League 
committees had been established, a mere month after the building first 
opened its doors.
  Those doors open into a sanctuary that is magnificent to behold even 
when the services have yet to commence. The beautiful canvasses of Mr. 
Louis Pierre Rigal, winner of the prestigious Grande Prix de Rome award 
in 1919, adorn the walls with glorious Biblical imagery.
  Even today the synagogue continues to enrich the community's culture 
and spirit by offering plays, concerts, lectures, and civic meetings to 
any that wish to attend.
  It would be impossible for me to separate the merits of this 
institution from those of its first spiritual leader, Rabbi Joshua 
Goldberg.
  Rabbi Goldberg was the first Jewish chaplain of the United States 
Navy. When knowledge of the Holocaust became public, he, together with 
Rabbi Stephen Wise, was an active leader in the effort to save European 
Jews from Hitler's relentless persecution.
  Rabbi Goldberg was stationed in Europe during World War II, and thus 
began his distinguished fifty-year-long career of Navy chaplaincy.
  As a Rabbi, he reached out to other members of the clergy, both in 
local neighborhoods and throughout greater New York area. Rabbi 
Goldberg would often use radio broadcasts as a means of delivering his 
message of universal love and unity. Additionally, his efforts were 
integral to the formation of Queens College, my esteemed Alma Mater.
  He made great contributions to the establishment of other Jewish 
communities such as Rego Park and Forest Hills.
  Many prominent members of the Astoria Center for Israel continued to 
follow in Rabbi Goldberg's footsteps, such as Rabbi Alvin Class, the 
current chaplain of the New York Police Department.
  I also must acknowledge the Center's many congregants that proudly 
pursue active careers in public service in both the governmental and 
private sectors.
  It is my hope that we can fulfill the clause that concludes the 
Astoria Congregation of Israel synagogue charter--
  ``Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity''

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