[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 103 (Monday, June 27, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S4582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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               CONGREGATION B'NAI ISRAEL SESQUICENTENNIAL

 Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the 
Congregation B'nai Israel of Sylvania, OH, as it celebrates its 150th 
anniversary. It was founded in 1866 by 17 families and grew to 140 
members by 1908. Its first permanent synagogue was constructed in 1913 
and is now listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Today 
the congregation serves over 425 members at the Jewish Community Center 
of Sylvania. These members are drawn from across northwest Ohio and 
southeast Michigan.
  Congregation B'nai Israel's mission is to make the practice of 
Judaism an integral part of its members' daily lives while working in 
cooperation with the Jewish community. It does this by creating an 
accessible synagogue that encourages all of its members to study, 
worship, engage in acts of loving kindness, and build K'lal Yisrael. In 
addition, they have long promoted the equal participation of men and 
women in Jewish religious life, a significant goal in the Judaism 
Conservative movement. It has a long history of community outreach, 
ranging from the development of war relief programs and welcoming 
Holocaust survivors throughout the 1940s, to volunteering at nearby 
community centers and nursing homes, to mission trips in South Africa.
  I am here today to honor Congregation B'nai Israel. I congratulate 
all who were involved in making its first 150 years a success.

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