[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 83 (Thursday, June 4, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DECALOGUE SOCIETY ON ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY

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                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 4, 2009

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker I rise today to thank and congratulate 
the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, which this year celebrates its 75th 
anniversary.
  Founded in 1934 to fight anti-Semitism and other forms of 
discrimination and intolerance, the Decalogue Society has a proud 
record of achievement. It is the oldest Jewish Bar Association in the 
United States, representing the values and concerns of the Jewish 
community while working to protect the rights and privileges of all 
Americans.
  All of us are proud to be a nation of laws, and we strive to ensure 
that ``equal justice under the law'' is not just a motto but a reality. 
The Decalogue Society recognizes that lawyers play an essential role in 
maintaining a free society committed to equal justice. It works to 
ensure that we as a nation understand and value the role of the legal 
profession in reaching that goal, even as its lawyers participate in 
social action and cooperate in diverse movements for the public 
welfare.
  Access to competent legal representation is an essential ingredient 
for making sure that the laws of the land are just and fairly enforced. 
The Decalogue Society extends critical educational and financial 
support to those lawyers who work to end discrimination and represent 
the rights of the most vulnerable among us. The Decalogue Foundation 
was created in the 1960s to provide scholarships for deserving law 
students. It has established nine endowment funds at the Hebrew 
University Law School and six Chicago-area law schools. It also 
provides free continuing legal education to assist members and non-
members alike in becoming better informed lawyers.
  I hope that my colleagues will join me in congratulating the 
Decalogue Society for its commitment to the ideals of religious freedom 
and racial tolerance and for its efforts to encourage and assist those 
women and men who want to pursue future legal careers in public 
service. Chicago, Illinois and the United States all benefit from its 
activities and from its commitment to the principles of law and 
equality.

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