[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 172 (Thursday, November 19, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2828-E2829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO RABBI STEVEN FOSTER AND SENATOR JOYCE FOSTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2009

  Ms. DeGETTE. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize the 
extraordinary accomplishments of a distinguished couple in the 1st 
Congressional District of Colorado, Rabbi Steven Foster and State 
Senator Joyce Foster. Rabbi Foster has announced that he will retire in 
June 2010 after four decades at Denver's Temple Emanuel, the oldest 
Jewish congregation in Colorado. On this occasion, I rise to pay 
tribute to the Fosters and to their exceptional service to our 
community and our world.
  The Fosters moved to Denver in 1970, when Rabbi Foster accepted his 
first position as an ordained rabbi at Temple Emanuel after receiving 
degrees in Hebrew Letters at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. 
Together they have raised three children and have made Denver a better 
place for all its residents.
  The first Temple Emanuel with which Rabbi Foster was affiliated was 
in his hometown of Milwaukee, where he grew up attending the synagogue 
during the emerging civil rights movement. By the time of his bar 
mitzvah, he was determined he would become a rabbi. As a senior in 
college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he traveled to Alabama 
to walk in the historic Freedom March led by Dr. Martin Luther King to 
the state capitol in Montgomery. His actions marked a lifelong 
commitment to social justice.
  Rabbi Foster has been an activist for social justice, an advocate for 
interfaith outreach, and a spiritual leader to the thousands of Temple 
Emanuel congregants. Rabbi Foster's work has included founding the 
Temple Emanuel Preschool and Kindergarten, Herzl Day School, and 
Stepping Stones to a Jewish Me, an outreach program for interfaith 
families. He has served on the boards of Planned Parenthood of the 
Rocky Mountains, National Council of Justice and Peace, United Way, and 
Allied Jewish Federation, to name just a few.
  Rabbi Foster has taken on all these tasks while also tirelessly 
devoting himself to the spiritual needs of his flock. Never reticent to 
speak out and take action on social issues, Rabbi Foster has worked 
assiduously against the death penalty and for racial equality, 
reproductive rights, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and 
transgender people. In the words of Rabbi Foster, ``Either we are all 
created in God's image, or we're not.'' Temple Emanuel's largest 
community service project, Mitzvah Day, embodies Rabbi Foster and 
Temple Emanuel's commitment to social justice, as hundreds of families 
go into the Denver community and perform good deeds.
  Joyce Foster grew up in Benton Harbor, Michigan. She was educated at 
Lake Michigan College and Roosevelt University and Northwestern 
University in Chicago, where she met Rabbi Foster. In 1977, she began a 
16-year career at Jewish Family Service in Denver, where, as Director 
of Employment Services, she worked with many refugees from the former 
Soviet Union and Pacific Rim countries. In 1993, she ran for Denver 
City Council. Upon her election, she became the first Jewish woman to 
sit on the Council. She subsequently spent 10 years representing 
District 4 and served as Council President during 2001-2002. As a 
Councilwoman and Council President, she was a leader on transportation, 
land use issues, and regional cooperation between the City and its 
surrounding suburbs. She represented Denver on the Denver Regional 
Council of Governments Board, and developed close working relationships 
with other cities and counties, business and transportation 
organizations, and state agencies such as the Colorado Department of 
Transportation. One of her signature accomplishments was working with 
Denver middle and high school students to help build a skate park in 
downtown Denver, which helped reduce crime and benefited the community 
by providing an after-school activity for young people.
  After retiring from the Denver City Council, in 2008 Joyce Foster was 
elected to represent her community as Senate Senator for Colorado's 
District 35. As a State Senator, Joyce Foster has been a champion for 
access to health care as a basic human right and for high-quality 
education for all children. Named by Denver's 5280 magazine as one of 
four Colorado ``Freshman Legislators to Watch,'' Senator Foster has 
earned a reputation as a savvy legislator who reaches across the aisle 
to serve the public good.

[[Page E2829]]

  On behalf of the citizens of the 1st Congressional District, I wish 
to express our gratitude to Rabbi Steven Foster and Senator Joyce 
Foster. Through their commitment to public service and social justice, 
they have made our community a better place. We look forward the 
continued involvement of this remarkable couple in our civic life. 
Please join me in commending these distinguished public servants.

                          ____________________