[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING RABBI HERBERT N. BROCKMAN ON HIS 25TH ANNIVERSARY WITH 
                      CONGREGATION MISHKAN ISRAEL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2011

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to join Congregation Mishkan Israel and the Greater New Haven community 
in paying tribute to the outstanding efforts of Rabbi Herbert N. 
Brockman as he celebrates his 25th year of leadership at the synagogue. 
Rabbi Brockman is not only an exceptional religious leader, but has 
earned a distinguished reputation as an advocate for social justice and 
interfaith understanding. His commitment to these issues have enriched 
the lives of his congregation and fostered better communication and 
understanding among various community groups. In doing so, he has 
helped to mold the character of our community--going a long way in 
creating an environment of mutual awareness and respect.
  Though he originally came to Yale Medical School planning to become a 
psychiatrist, like six generations before him, Rabbi Brockman heard a 
call to another purpose. Upon completion of his rabbinic studies in the 
Reform tradition, he served two other synagogues before finding a more 
permanent home at Mishkan Israel in Hamden, Connecticut.
  His experiences led him to a broader world view and it has been 
through this holistic view of humanity that he has taught and inspired 
not only his congregation but the community as a whole. Rabbi Brockman 
holds firm to the belief that in order to really learn you must be 
willing to listen to opposing viewpoints and while you may not agree, 
you must respect that there are opinions other than your own.
  He is both renowned and beloved for his encouragement of the 
congregation at Mishkan Israel, and the community at-large, to 
challenge themselves by approaching political and current issues in 
different ways. In fact one of the members of Mishkan Israel was 
recently quoted as saying, ``he has brought the congregation to a place 
of social participation and awareness that does not happen all the 
time.'' It has been through his strongly held view that everybody has 
something to offer and that everyone should be heard that he has become 
a community leader in interfaith relationships. Indeed, at his Silver 
Salute, he will be honored by an imam, a bishop, and several 
ministers--a testament to his advocacy and the respect he has earned 
throughout our religious communities.
  Rabbi Brockman has inspired hundreds to not only talk about those 
issues that impact our community, but to act on them as well. Among 
those is Abraham's Tent, a program that Rabbi Brockman helped found 
which was created to address the problem of the many homeless men who 
are turned away from shelters because of high demand and limited 
capacity. Each week a house of worship is opened to these men so that 
they may have a warm place to sleep at night and volunteers from the 
congregation also provide them with a hot meal. This effort has not 
only provided shelter to many who might have otherwise been subjected 
to the bitter conditions of a New England winter, but has also kept the 
issues of homelessness at the forefront of our community's public 
discourse.
  Through his spiritual leadership and advocacy for social justice, 
Rabbi Herbert Brockman has left an indelible mark on our community. His 
infinite compassion and commitment to service inspires others to make a 
difference--a gift that has and continues to make the Greater New Haven 
community a better place to live, learn, and grow. I am so pleased to 
have the opportunity to extend my deepest thanks to him for all of his 
good work and to join the congregation of Mishkan Israel in 
congratulating him on his 25th Anniversary with them. I wish him, his 
wife, Elin, and their children Harry and Jonathan all the best for many 
more years of health and happiness.

                          ____________________