[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 154 (Friday, September 26, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2027-E2028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING 125TTH ANNIVERSARY OF AGUDATH ACHIM, OF ALTOONA 
                              PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 



                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 2008

  Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, it is my distinct privilege to rise today 
to congratulate and celebrate the congregation of Aguath Achim of 
Altoona, Pennsylvania, on their 125th anniversary. Agudath Achim which 
translates to ``a union of brothers and sisters'' began its long and 
rich history in 1883 when its members began meeting in the homes of 
their neighbors and fellow worshipers.
  It was through this humble beginning that the men and women of 
Agudath Achim were able to pool their resources, their faith and their 
effort into the construction of their first wooden synagogue in 1895. 
This wooden Shule sat on the site of the congregation's second 
synagogue which dates back to 1925 and has served as the congregation's 
home ever since.
  The contribution made by the Jewish people to Pennsylvania and our 
national heritage cannot be understated. In 1746 the first man to 
explore what is now Blair County and the home to Agudath Achim was a 
Jew named Colonel Conrad Weiser. He was followed in 1754 by Stephen 
Franks, founder of Frankstown, Pennsylvania. In 1778 General Daniel 
Roberdeau, a Jew from York, Pennsylvania and a member of the 
Continental Congress became aware of the presence of lead mines in 
central Pennsylvania. At his own expense, General Roberdeau traveled to 
our region and built a fort in what would one day become Altoona to 
begin mining and processing much-needed lead ammunition to General 
Washington's troops at Valley Forge.
  These early pioneers were part of a larger group of hardworking and 
devout Jews that helped lay the foundation for the Pennsylvania we know 
and love today. The men and women of Agudath Achim carry with them this 
heritage and they have given tirelessly and

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unflinchingly of their energy, time and finances to enrich and improve 
their community.
  The congregation of Agudath Achim is an extended family who shares in 
the celebrations, joys and sorrows life brings. The Agudath Achim 
membership is proud of their heritage and with God's help will grow in 
strength and continue to be an inspiring factor in the lives of its 
membership and to the larger community of Blair County and the city of 
Altoona.
  Over the past 125 years, the members of Agudath Achim and Jews 
throughout the world have born witness to immense transformations of 
their people. They have endured the horrors of intolerance and 
inhumanity brought on by the Holocaust. They have been uplifted by the 
formation of the State of Israel and they have seen their community 
flourish though Jewish immigration from post-war Europe. Through it 
all, the congregation of Agudath Achim endured and provided a stable 
foundation on which to grow.
  The fact that we are able to commemorate Agudath Achim's 125th 
anniversary is a testament to the character of its members and the 
congregation's success is a testament to all of the men, women, and 
children who have made the Agudath Achim Synagogue the paramount focus 
of their lives. I would like to congratulate Hazzan G. Michael Horwitz, 
Dr. Elliott Bilofsky, Joel H. Hollander and the synagogue's past 
presidents of both the Synagogue Boards and the Sisterhood and all of 
their past and present members who have guided Agudath Achim's destiny 
over the past 125 years. I have no doubt that the members of Agudath 
Achim will continue their path of excellence as they begin to write the 
next chapter of their history.

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