[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 53 (Thursday, April 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CONGRATULATING CONGREGATION ETZ CHAIM ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. PETER J. ROSKAM

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 15, 2010

  Mr. ROSKAM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Congregation Etz 
Chaim which serves the people of Lombard in my Congressional District. 
This weekend, the congregation celebrates its 50th anniversary of 
serving families in our community.
  The congregation was founded in 1960 as Tree Towns Congregation in 
Elmhurst by eight local families. Today it serves more than 550 
families in the western suburbs of Chicago. Leaders within the 
congregation include Senior Rabbi Steven Bob, Associate Rabbi Andrea 
Cosnowsky, Educator Anne Stein, Administrator Carol Meyer, and 
President Al Herbach.
  Etz Chaim is the only Jewish congregation of its size in the nation 
with an all-volunteer religious school faculty. The congregation prides 
itself on being a growing, thriving center of Reform Judaism where both 
young and old are welcomed and cherished. Etz Chaim depends on the 
members to shape its character through involvement in programming and 
committees.
  Congregants have always been very involved in local and international 
issues on a grassroots level. Over the course of their history, member 
families have hosted in their homes refugees from Vietnam as well as 
Soviet Jews escaping oppression. They distribute merchandise made by 
craftspeople of Lifeline for the Old in Jerusalem. In our own 
community, social programs include PADS, where the synagogue's social 
hall becomes a shelter for the homeless every Sunday evening.
  Madam Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, the Etz Chaim 
congregation is a remarkable institution which has served the people of 
Lombard faithfully for the last 50 years. Please join me in recognizing 
its extraordinary impact on the community and wishing the congregation 
happiness for many more years to come.

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