[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 142 (Thursday, September 22, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    ON THE OCCASION OF CELEBRATING RABBI DANNEL SCHWARTZ'S FORTIETH 
  ANNIVERSARY IN THE RABBINATE AND HIS RETIREMENT AS SENIOR RABBI OF 
                           TEMPLE SHIR SHALOM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY C. PETERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 22, 2011

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rabbi Dannel Schwartz 
of Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on the occasion of 
his retirement after forty years in the rabbinate and a lifetime of 
service to the Jewish community in Michigan and beyond.
  Like many who heed to a call to serve their community, Rabbi 
Schwartz's leadership began early in his life when he served as 
President of the Bronx and Manhattan Federation of Temple Youth. Rabbi 
Schwartz completed his rabbinical training in 1972 and has served the 
Jewish community of Southeast Michigan as Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth 
El of Bloomfield, Michigan, and for the last two decades has served as 
Founding and Senior Rabbi of Temple Shir Shalom. For the past two 
years, Rabbi Schwartz has also served as CEO of The Corners, an 
institution that provides affordable space and resources to nonprofit 
organizations.
  Rabbi Schwartz has not only taught the values of Judaism, but has 
also set an example for his congregation and the Greater Detroit 
community through his commitment to service. As a member of the 
Michigan Board of Rabbis and its former president, Rabbi Schwartz 
devoted considerable time and energy to providing spiritual leadership 
beyond his own congregation. Rabbi Schwartz also serves as Chaplain at 
Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, and through his work there 
has offered patients and their families important emotional and 
spiritual support in times of difficulty. And as a believer in lifelong 
learning, Rabbi Schwartz has continued his education both formally by 
obtaining a doctoral degree from the Jewish Institute of Religion and 
informally through his experiences with his congregation, family, and 
friends.
  On many occasions Rabbi Schwartz has demonstrated his ability as a 
leader in Michigan's Jewish community, but one occasion serves as a 
seminal example of his leadership: the founding of Temple Shir Shalom. 
It was Rabbi Schwartz who gathered together with thirty families just 
over twenty years ago to establish their new congregation. And through 
his guidance and support of those families, the congregation of Shir 
Shalom has prospered and grown to over nine hundred families. Along the 
path of the Temple's history there have been many obstacles, including 
the need to construct a permanent home for the congregation, which was 
first housed in a converted office building, but with Rabbi Schwartz's 
unyielding efforts, the congregation of Shir Shalom overcame those 
challenges.
  Mr. Speaker, the congregation of Temple Shir Shalom and the Jewish 
community of Michigan are blessed to have benefitted from the wisdom, 
knowledge, and service of Rabbi Dannel Schwartz over the last forty 
years and I know his retirement will affect generations of worshippers. 
I wish Rabbi Schwartz well in his retirement and I know his commitment 
to service will continue through his volunteer work and the Rabbi 
Dannel Schwartz Legacy Foundation.

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