[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 28, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E664-E665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DR. RABBI PAUL B. SILTON
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HON. MICHAEL R. McNULTY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Mr. McNULTY. Madam Speaker, this morning I had the honor of
introducing our guest chaplain for today, my very dear friend and
teacher, Dr. Rabbi Paul Silton of Temple Israel in Albany, New York.
In order for House Members to have a greater understanding of Rabbi
Silton's extraordinary accomplishments, I submit a more detailed
description of his impressive background:
Dr. Rabbi Paul Silton, Rabbi of Temple Israel, the largest
conservative synagogue in northeast New York, received his B.A. in
Philosophy from Boston University, an M.A. in Hebrew Literature and
Rabbinical Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
in 1970, and a Doctor of Divinity in 1996. At his graduation from the
Jewish Theological Seminary, he was awarded the top prize in Pastoral
Counseling. While at the Seminary, he studied at the Meir Yeshiva in
Brooklyn and taught at religious schools in Fort Lee, New Jersey;
Hartford, Connecticut; and Rumson, New Jersey. He also served as Gabbai
of the Seminary Synagogue under the
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supervision of Dr. Rabbi Saul Lieberman and Dr. Rabbi Louis
Finkelstein. Prior to his move to Albany, New York, Rabbi Silton spent
6 years as a teacher and Education Director at Camps Ramah in Glen
Spey, New York and in Palmer, Massachusetts. Rabbi Silton arrived in
Albany after serving as Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in North
Adams, Massachusetts. While in North Adams, Rabbi Silton taught at
Williams College and served as prison chaplain.
Already in 1974, the pattern of Rabbi Silton's Rabbinate began to
diverge from that of his colleagues. Here at Temple Israel, he began
his career as Educational Director for students N-12, including the
Communal High School, Camp Givah Director and assistant to Rabbi
Kieval. In each of those areas, he actively fostered growth and change.
Gradually the nursery school expanded into a full Early Childhood
Center, servicing day care needs of pre-kindergarten youngsters and
their parents. It now includes Baby and Me, Mommy (or Daddy) and Me
toddler programs, and morning and afternoon nursery. The Religious
School extended to 7 hours a week and featured a school-wide Israeli
Dance Program, which eventually grew to present dance performances in
Albany, Boston, and New York City. On Shabbatot and High Holidays,
preprimary and primary children in addition to ``Juniors'' could now
attend services especially designed for them. As they grew older,
students could tour and study in Israel with double the amount of
scholarship aid from generous member endowments and community sources.
Adults could now attend class 5 days a week and occasionally
participate in Hebrew Reading Marathons; Professor Stephen Berk's
lecture series became a most successful Adult Education program.
At Camp Givah, Rabbi Silton founded the Kibbutz Program, inspired the
building of Yam Sarah (Givah's lake), the arts and crafts center, and
the early childhood shelter. He introduced and developed programs in
boating, gymnastics, computers, horseback riding, and Red Cross Boating
Certification. For younger children who literally could not wait until
next summer's Givah excitement, he originated and organized Camp Horef
Katan, a winter camp.
As Rabbi Silton's responsibilities increased, so his avid interest in
many other areas continued to expand. He founded Holocaust Survivors
and Friends in Pursuit of Justice and he hosted the first major 3-day
national Holocaust conference for 1500 participants in April 1984 at
Temple Israel. Since then he has organized a multitude of services for
the community Kristalnacht and Holocaust Memorial commemorations,
featuring international figures such as Beate Klarsfeld. He visited
Germany several times in support of those testifying at war crimes
trials, to officiate at an interfaith service in Passau, Germany, and
at other events that united survivors and liberators.
Silton's most passionate efforts, however, have focused on Temple and
community. In addition to attending to traditional Rabbinical duties at
Temple Israel, he greatly expanded the Bar and Bat Mitzvah roles of
boys and girls, initiated full reading of the scrolls by women on
various holidays, a women's prayer group, Rosh Chodesh benching,
P'Sukei D'Zimra, and regular Torah reading; he introduced Birkat
Kohanim on an ongoing basis, a hashkamah (early) minyan and a learners'
minyan. He also began a daily study program of Jewish text which takes
place every morning. This study program has continued for the past 10
years. In addition, he strengthened the daily minyanim, instituted Yom
Kippur dialogues with inspiring international figures, initiated
holiday dinners and workshops, organized Hassidic Song Festivals,
Cantorial concerts and innumerable Kallot featuring international
performers and scholars. Through the efforts of Rabbi Silton, Temple
Israel has received numerous awards from United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism including those for: Israel Affairs, Camp Givah,
Performing Arts, Community Relations and Israel/Masorti Affairs as well
as Education Awards for Programming, High School Education and the
Framework for Excellence Synagogue School Program Award. He assisted in
the founding of HADAR, the award-winning Judaic Art and Book Center at
Temple Israel. Rabbi Silton has also been featured in four books
including The Outraged Conscience by Rochelle G. Saidel, 1984; Against
the Stream: Growing Up Where Hitler Used to Live by Anna Rosmus, 2002;
Out of Passau: Leaving a City Hitler Called Home by Anna Rosmus, 2004;
and in a soon to be published book about the Sabbath by Christopher
Ringwald.
All of the above mentioned activities attracted the community to
Temple Israel but Silton directly involved himself in countless
community events as well. For nearly 20 years he directed the Communal
High School and taught at the Bet Shraga Capital District Hebrew
Academy. When Soviet Jewish immigration was at its height, he
supervised the ritual circumcisions of nearly all Soviet immigrants'
male children, arranged and officiated at the first Russian Jewish
wedding and Bar Mitzvah of these newly settled immigrants in the
Capital District. In addition to serving on a host of community boards
and committees including the Police Review Board under Mayor Gerald
Jennings, he initiated the first Jewish-Latino Seder, hosted the third
annual Black-Jewish Seder, assisted the Aviva chapter of B'nai B'rith
with the first Seder for the developmentally disabled, discussed
Judaism with hundreds of church groups and taught basic Judaism classes
and has lectured at area colleges including College of St. Rose, Maria
College, Siena College, and SUNY Albany. He also worked with Mayor
Jennings on the observance of Yom HaShoah to honor the late Chiune
Sugihara, a Japanese ``Oskar Schindler''. In 1994, Silton built the
first mikveh owned by Temple Israel to serve the congregation and the
entire Capital district community. The building of the mikveh has been
an inspiration to other conservative congregations throughout the
country. An article about it will be coming out in the very near future
of United Synagogue Review.
On an ongoing basis, Rabbi Silton teaches in the Temple Israel
Educational Center: junior high, high school, and adult education
departments. Following the Six Day War, Rabbi Silton spent a year of
study in Israel with his wife, Faye. While studying at the Hebrew
University and the Rav Kook Yeshiva in Jerusalem, he learned to become
a Mohel. Ordained in 1968 by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, he has
officiated at thousands of B'ritol Milah from Syracuse to the Catskills
to Western Massachusetts. Rabbi Silton and his wife, Faye, are the
parents of Elana (Dr. Ari) Moskowitz, Michal (David, Esq.) Kahan, Dr.
Akiva (Dr. Sharon) Silton, Tamar, Esq. (Jeremy) Epstein, Aviva (Ami)
Robinson, Nava Silton and Shira Silton. They currently have 15
grandchildren.
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