[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 19 (Thursday, February 28, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING TEMPLE BETH EL OF SAN MATEO ON THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2002

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise to 
congratulate Temple Beth El of San Mateo California, in my 
Congressional district, on the 50th anniversary of its founding.
  In 1950 the San Francisco peninsula was experiencing an extraordinary 
growth spurt. Young families were reunited with soldiers returning from 
the war and began purchase homes with their G.I. loans. This resulted 
in the rapid growth of the Bay Area. One result of this growth was that 
public facilities could not meet the demand of the population 
explosion, and schools were required to have double session to 
accommodate all the new children. At the time there was only one Jewish 
institution housed in its own building on the Peninsula at a small 
synagogue in Menlo Park. Although members of the Congregations Sherith 
Israel and Temple Emanu-El were cosponsoring a religious school for 
their children, the schooling took place at a Seventh Day Adventist 
Church, because the congregations did not have the necessary building 
space for a religious school.
  In order to accommodate their expanding numbers concerned parents met 
on a Monday evening in October of 1950, calling themselves the ``Board 
of Directors of the Peninsula Temple Congregation.'' Their focus that 
evening was to create a facility for Jewish learning and worship on the 
peninsula. From that first night, it was obvious that this group of 
dedicated individuals would be a success. They elected officers, 
organized themselves and took the first steps towards their exciting 
journey that very first night. Soon they had hired a Rabbi and chose a 
name; Peninsula Temple Beth El.
  Mr. Speaker, over its fifty years Temple Beth El has grown from a few 
families to a congregation made up of over 700 families numbering more 
than 3,000 people. Their religious school has become a model of 
programing followed by other congregations in California and the rest 
of the country. Today over 600 children receive a quality Jewish 
education in Beth El's religious school. Two years ago the Gannon Day 
Care center was named the number one child-care facility on the 
Peninsula.
  In addition to providing excellent religious institutions for their 
children, the members of Temple Beth El sponsor numerous programs aimed 
at enriching the spiritual lives of adult members. They were one of the 
first congregations in California to establish a Havurah--a traditional 
Jewish prayer group. Members of Temple Beth El are also actively 
fulfilling their obligations to be involved in social justice. From 
preparing food for the homeless at the Samaritan House in San Mateo, to 
collecting donations for numerous charities, serving as tutors for 
literacy programs in public schools, the members of Temple Beth El are 
extraordinary examples of selflessness and giving back to their 
community.
  Mr. Speaker, after fifty years Temple Beth of San Mateo remains a 
vigorous, exciting and expanding congregation. Despite its growth it 
has remained committed to the core goal--to provide a place for Jewish 
worship and Jewish education and to nurture Jewish Life on the 
Peninsula. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in commending Temple 
Beth El of San Mateo on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, and wish 
its members continued success for the future.

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