[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E914-E915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CELEBRATING THE SERVICE OF RABBI DOUG KAHN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 14, 2016

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise with 
Representatives Jackie Speier, Jared Huffman, Mike Thompson, Barbara 
Lee, Anna Eshoo and Eric Swalwell to honor Rabbi Doug Kahn as he 
retires as Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council 
(JCRC) of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and 
Contra Costa Counties.
  For 34 years, Rabbi Kahn has served with distinction and led with 
integrity. Rabbi Kahn's analytical mind, diplomatic skills, endless 
energy and compassion have earned him the admiration of people around 
the world. As a consensus builder and community leader, Rabbi Kahn has 
dedicated his life to answering the sacred call, ``tikkun olam,'' to 
repair the world.
  Since 1938, JCRC has been committed to improving relations between 
the Jewish community and the community at-large. A strong advocate for 
the Bay Area Jewish community, Rabbi Kahn has masterfully managed 
sensitive and challenging issues, built bridges with Americans of many 
faiths, interests, and ethnic groups.
  Under his leadership, JCRC confronted anti-Semitism, the oppression 
of Soviet Jews, and anti-Israel activities on college campuses.
  A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Doug Kahn was born in 1951 to a 
family that discussed current events around the dinner table. The Civil 
Rights Movement and protests against the Vietnam War sparked his 
passion for social justice.
  As a UC Berkeley student in 1971, he joined the Bay Area Council for 
Soviet Jewry

[[Page E915]]

and, at great personal risk, traveled to the Soviet Union. Inspired by 
that journey, he attended rabbinical school in Israel, where he 
immersed himself in Jewish traditions and developed a personal 
connection to the Jewish faith.
  In 1979, the Reform Movement's Hebrew Union College ordained Rabbi 
Kahn. He then served as the executive director of George Washington 
University Hillel. In 1981, Rabbi Kahn returned to San Francisco and 
joined JCRC as assistant director.
  During the Soviet Jewry exodus, Rabbi Kahn fought for the freedom of 
Soviet Jews. Influenced by his two mentors, legends in our community, 
then-JCRC Director Earl Raab and Associate Director Rita Semel, Rabbi 
Kahn helped mobilize the community.
  In 1987, Rabbi Kahn and a cheering crowd welcomed to San Francisco 
``refusenik'' Natan Sharansky, who had been freed from a Soviet prison.
  Later that year, Rabbi Kahn was promoted to Associate Director of 
JCRC and in 1999, he became Executive Director following the 
retirements of Raab and Semel. Rabbi Kahn has built strong interfaith 
and interethnic relationships with African American, Asian American, 
Latino and Muslim American communities championing civil rights, 
employment, housing, equality in education, immigration, nuclear 
nonproliferation, domestic violence prevention, marriage equality and 
the end of apartheid in South Africa.
  In the face of crises and tragedy, Rabbi Kahn built bridges. From 
standing on the pulpit at San Francisco's Third Baptist Church in 
affirmation of a strong African American-Jewish alliance after the 
Rodney King verdict to performing outreach to the local Bosnian Muslim 
community after the brutal human rights violations against Bosnians in 
the 1992-95 civil war, and more recently, standing in solidarity with 
Muslim Americans threatened by Islamophobia, Rabbi Kahn and the JCRC 
have made our communities stronger.
  Although Rabbi Kahn is leaving JCRC, he will continue to offer his 
wisdom and superb skills for JCRC's values and priorities.
  My colleagues and I hope his departure from JCRC will allow Rabbi 
Kahn to spend more time with Ellen, his beloved wife, and their two 
sons, Joey and Daniel.
  Mr. Speaker, we ask the House of Representatives to join us in 
celebrating the outstanding contributions our good friend Rabbi Doug 
Kahn has made to the Bay Area and beyond. His moral compass, eternal 
optimism, unwavering dedication and perseverance have profoundly 
strengthened our communities.

                          ____________________