[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 54 (Monday, April 11, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E394-E395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING SYDNEY ALDERMAN PERRY ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 11, 2016

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, today marks the end of an era at the Jewish 
Federation and Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven as they 
gather to celebrate the retirement of their President and CEO, and my 
dear friend, Sydney Alderman Perry.
  Sydney began her career with the Jewish Federation and JCC nearly 30 
years ago in the Department of Jewish Education. Education was her 
passion and over the course of her seventeen years in that department 
she not only worked to improve the synagogue supplementary schools, she 
also developed and implemented a number of innovative education 
programs for both adults and teens.
  In addition to ``A Taste of Honey,'' an adult learning lecture series 
that attracts hundreds of adults, Sydney spearheaded the Israel 
Experience Savings program, which helps young people travel to Israel 
and initiated Talmud Torah Meyuchad, an individualized Jewish education 
program for children with special needs. But perhaps the contribution 
she is most proud of is the establishment of the successful community 
Hebrew High School, MAKOM, which serves hundreds of teens throughout 
the New Haven area every year.
  She was tapped as associate executive director to supervise such 
things as the Holocaust Education and Prejudice Reduction Project and 
went on to become the executive director of the federation for six 
years, before taking on the title of CEO of the merged federation and 
the Jewish Community Center of New Haven.
  Under her leadership the federation has expanded its agenda and 
outreach to enhance Jewish life and enrich the lives of those most in 
need both locally and internationally. Food4Kids sends local students 
who depend on the breakfast and lunch programs home with a backpack of 
staples for the weekends. The Jewish Coalition for Literacy has more 
than two hundred volunteers who read and talk with students. The 
federation supports the elderly housing complexes as well as 
educational institutions across Greater New Haven and raises funds for 
Yale Hillel and the University of Connecticut Hillel; the Jewish 
Historical Society and the JCC.
  Beyond her leadership at the Jewish Federation and JCC, Sydney is an 
extraordinary advocate for Jewish continuity. She has served as a 
consultant to the community on educational endeavors, including the 
Anne Frank Project, Shepherd '92, Jerusalem 3000 and the celebration of 
Israel's 50th Anniversary. Sydney is an extraordinary scholar, often 
called upon nationally to give workshops and has served as scholar-in-
residence for several communities.
  Sydney has shown an unparalleled dedication to Jewish education in 
our community and throughout the nation--a commitment that is reflected 
in the myriad of awards she has been honored with over the years. She 
is an inspiration.
  I am proud to join the many family, friends, and colleagues who have 
gathered this evening in extending my sincere thanks and appreciation 
to Sydney Alderman Perry for her incredible work with the Jewish 
Federation and Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven and her 
outstanding service to our community. My very best wishes to her, her 
children, and grandchildren for many more years of health and happiness 
as she enjoys her retirement.

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