[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 138 (Thursday, November 13, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THE CHABAD HOUSE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

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                          HON. TOM McCLINTOCK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 13, 2014

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 
Jewish Community Center of Granite Bay, California, and join in 
celebrating the commissioning of a new community Torah scroll.
   Opened in 2005 as a local home for Jewish life in Placer County, the 
Chabad House Jewish Community Center serves as a center of education 
and support to the local Jewish community and an inspiration to people 
from all walks of life.
   The Granite Bay center is a branch of the International Chabad 
movement, which seeks to promote a greater awareness of education, 
morality and decency among all people. Chabad serves the community 
through a wide variety of services and programs, including by making 
the beauty of Jewish principles and heritage accessible to all Jews, 
and by bringing Jewish traditions into their daily lives.
   As part of this effort, the Chabad House Jewish Community Center has 
commissioned a professional scribe in Israel to write a Torah scroll in 
the traditional method, which dates back thousands of years.
   The Torah, a sacred text over 3,300 years old, contains the Five 
Books of Moses and is the most precious article in Jewish life. Its 
guidance provides a strong foundation for morals in today's global 
society.
   On October 26, 2014, members of the Jewish community gathered with 
rabbis and community leaders in Placer County to witness the first 
letters of the Torah being inscribed.
   Mr. Speaker, since the inception of our nation organizations like 
the Chabad House Jewish Community Center have been the bedrocks of 
their communities; and bastions of civic engagement upon which our 
society depends. As George Washington stated in his Farewell Address: 
``of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political 
prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.''
   We are fortunate to have the Chabad Jewish Community Center as a 
pillar of religious and moral teachings in our community and I am proud 
to join in honoring this auspicious occasion.

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