[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

                                 ______
                                 

                        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

[[Page E665]]

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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