[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 28, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CELEBRATING CONGREGATION MICKVE ISRAEL'S 282nd ANNIVERSARY

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                     HON. EARL L. ``BUDDY'' CARTER

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 28, 2015

  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the 
282nd Anniversary of Congregation Mickve Israel, the third oldest 
Jewish Congregation in the United States of America, and the grand 
opening of their Lawrence and Nancy Gutstein Museum.
  Five months after General James Oglethorpe founded the Georgia colony 
in 1733, Jewish refugees from the Iberian Peninsula landed in Savannah. 
These refugees started the Congregation Mickve Israel which has met in 
various locations ever since. The congregation is still operating under 
the same charter which they received from Governor Edward Telfair in 
1790. Using primary sources, the diaries of one of the first settlers 
and minute books from 1790-1851, a carefully constructed exhibit ties 
Mickve Israel and its members to events in Jewish history, in the life 
of the Savannah community, the country, and the world.
  The new museum tells the Congregation's story through the American 
Revolution, the Civil War and today. Some of the artifacts on display 
include the oldest Torah scrolls in the United States from the 15th 
century, a scale model of the ship, William and Sarah, which brought 
over the founding members of the Congregation, and copies of letters 
written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Others include 
contributions of its members with the early Girl Scout movement as well 
as leadership in the civic and cultural life of Savannah.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to join the Savannah community in 
celebration of the opening of Congregation Mickve Israel's new museum 
and their 282nd Anniversary.

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