[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 151 (Thursday, November 18, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


BENEDICTION DELIVERED BY RABBI ISRAEL ZOBERMAN AT THE DEDICATION OF THE 
    JEWISH WAR VETERANS MONUMENT IN VIRGINIA BEACH ON VETERANS DAY, 
                           NOVEMBER 11, 2010

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                           HON. GLENN C. NYE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 2010

  Mr. NYE. Madam Speaker, I submit the following.
  Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Our God, M'kor Chayim U'vracha, Infinite 
Source of Life's Blessings,
  Dear Veterans, Families, Donors, Friends, Zeh Ha'Yom Asa Adonai, 
Nagila V'nismecha Vo! This is the awaiting day the Lord has granted us, 
that we may find joy and meaning in it!
  Tenderly, tearfully and triumphantly we recall our very own fighting 
Jewish men and women in uniform who alongside fellow Americans from all 
backgrounds and walks of life, and to the last full measure of 
devotion, borrowing a phrase from President Abraham Lincoln's 
Gettysburg Address--served and sacrificed, secured and saved on behalf 
of our great and grateful nation, a flourishing democracy which has 
been a tower of strength to a weary and vulnerable world as well as a 
steadfast beacon of Shalom's flickering lights of hope, harmony and 
healing.
  Our cherished kin, some with their long-loving and supportive 
families here on this festive Veterans Day of the Jewish War Veterans 
Monument Dedication, have proudly, patriotically and profoundly 
responded to freedom's far-reaching sacred call from these golden 
shores to the most noble of duties in defense of all we hold precious. 
Their selfless acts of unflinching heroism and exemplary conduct under 
harrowing circumstances brought genuine honor and lasting glory, 
sanctifying God's holy name.
  This significant monument is an essential addition to the beautiful 
grounds of the Reba and Sam Sandler Campus of the Tidewater Jewish 
Community in the unique region of Hampton Roads, home to the nation's 
largest cluster of military installations. The monument, linked by 
design to the Helen G. Gifford Holocaust Memorial Garden, is forever an 
inspiring testimony to unforgettable brethren, the dead and the living, 
who participated in the monumental liberation of the surviving remnant, 
myself included, of European Jewry from the threat of total extinction 
by humanity's foes.
  At the approaching Chanuka celebration, we salute our veterans who 
like the Maccabees of old, through wondrous deeds and abundant 
sacrifices of a faithful spirit, have bequested unto us all the 
inseparable twin gifts of life and liberty.

     ``Minesharing Kalu
     M'arayot Gaveru
     They were swifter than eagles,
     They were stronger than lions!
     Eich Naflu Giborim
     B'tock Hamilchama--
     How have the mighty fallen
     In the thick of battle''
     Second Samuel 1:23, 25
     And humbly let us say, Amen.

  Rabbi Israel Zoberman is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth 
Chaverim in Virginia Beach and president of the Hampton Roads Board of 
Rabbis and Cantors. He was born in Kazakhstan in 1945 to Polish 
Holocaust survivors.

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