[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 43 (Wednesday, April 13, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING RABBI MICHAEL ROBINSON OF SONOMA COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 13, 2005

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rabbi Michael 
Robinson of Sonoma County who has dedicated his life to the cause of 
social justice at home and around the world. From the American civil 
rights movement to the Nicaraguan Contra war to the Israel-Palestinian 
conflict Rabbi Robinson has been on the front lines promoting peace and 
the improvement of humanity. On April 14 he is being presented with the 
Jack Green Civil Liberties Award by the ACLU of Sonoma County for his 
lifetime of achievements in this arena. Nobody deserves this honor more 
than Michael Robinson.
  Born in North Carolina, Robinson received his B.A. from the 
University of Cincinnati and attended North Carolina State College 
before enlisting in the Navy during World War II. He served in the 
Pacific and became a pacifist immediately after this experience.
  In 1952, after completing a course of study at Hebrew Union College 
in Cincinnati, Robinson became the first North Carolina native to be 
ordained as a rabbi. He later earned his doctoral degree from the New 
York Theological Seminary and served in temples in Seattle and Pomona 
as well as 29 years as an activist leader at Temple Israel in 
Westchester, New York. During the civil rights movement, the synagogue 
raised money to help rebuild the black churches that had been burned in 
the South and finance the van used by the Freedom Riders to tour the 
South. Rabbi Robinson marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, and 
expressed his convictions with these words: ``When I was 10 years old I 
began sitting on the back seat of the bus with `colored people.' I 
never returned to the front seat.''
  After moving to Sonoma County with his wife Ruth, Rabbi Robinson 
served Shomrei Torah and is credited with growing the congregation from 
30 families to now the largest Jewish congregation in Santa Rosa. 
Retired since 1996, Rabbi Robinson holds the title of Rabbi Emeritus at 
both Temple Israel and Shomrei Torah.
  In addition to promoting affirmative action, same sex marriage, 
affordable housing, and other equality issues, Robinson has worked 
against nuclear war, apartheid, and all forms of injustice. He is known 
locally for his involvement in the Sonoma County Task Force on 
Homelessness, Children's Village, the Living Wage Coalition, Habitat 
for Humanity, the Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center, and the 
Sonoma Land Trust.
  A founding member of Angry White Guys for Affirmative Action in 1996, 
Rabbi Robinson's words still resonate: ``I hope that my anger will not 
dissipate until justice is done and every man, woman and child has 
equal access to all the privileges of a democratic society and receives 
equal respect.''
  Mr. Speaker, I share that passion and also Rabbi Robinson's hope that 
we as a Nation can become better people and create a just society. 
Michael Robinson is a model for all of us--from the ACLU of Sonoma 
County to those in distant lands who strive for basic rights. His words 
as well as his deeds are an inspiration that none who have come into 
contact with him will ever forget.

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