[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 13, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





   HONORING RABBI JASON KIMELMAN-BLOCK'S LEADERSHIP AT BEND THE ARC: 
                             JEWISH ACTION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JAMIE RASKIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 13, 2025

  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my distinguished 
constituent and friend, Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, as his fourteen 
years of remarkable leadership as the Washington Director of Bend the 
Arc: Jewish Action come to a close.
  I have been proud to partner with Bend the Arc in the fight for 
strong democracy, solidarity and justice. For over a decade at Bend the 
Arc, Rabbi Jason has modeled these principles every day in his role as 
a core leader within the interfaith solidarity movement. When leaders 
in government face stark moral and political choices, Rabbi Jason 
hasn't hesitated to pray--not just with his hands and his mind but with 
his heart and his feet, in the tradition of Rabbi Abraham Joshua 
Heschel--to influence public actions. He is quick to remind us of our 
collective imperative to advance social justice and fairness for all 
Americans. I have seen him communicate the intricacies of budget 
reconciliation through a parable from the Torah.
  Throughout his career, Rabbi Jason has shared his profound knowledge 
about the complexities of antisemitism, immigration, mass incarceration 
and war and peace, both within the American Jewish community and with 
my colleagues in Congress. He's been at the forefront of movements to 
protect and expand voting rights; to institute a living wage through 
the Fight for $15 movement; to end the injustice of mass incarceration 
and to fight the appalling Muslim Ban and other unjust immigration 
policies. Rabbi Jason also carefully cultivated Bend the Arc's Selah 
Leadership Program to imbue the next generation of Jewish social change 
leaders with core skills and practical experience.
  Rabbi Jason is a man of society and a man of nature, a man of public 
engagement and private life. I see him and his wife Devora on multiple 
occasions enjoying a long Shabbat afternoon hike through the forests of 
Maryland's beautiful Eighth District. I know he deserves the additional 
time he will be able to spend with his family now.
  Bend the Arc derives its name from the assertion by 19th century 
abolitionist and Unitarian minister Theodore Parker--and made famous by 
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.--that ``the arc of the moral 
universe is long, but it bends towards justice.'' For more than a 
decade, Rabbi Jason has dedicated his waking hours to carrying this 
prophetic voice forward and bringing Bend the Arc's promise into 
reality. He is a gentleman and a scholar who brings soulfulness and 
warmth to his interactions with everyone, no matter their background, 
their age or their political affiliation.
  Rabbi Jason has shown us what it means to devote one's life's work to 
solidarity and what Dr. King called the beloved community. Through the 
relationships he has built and his unwavering commitment to creating a 
better future for all people, Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block has made a 
profound difference in Washington. It is an honor to represent him and 
support his righteous causes in Congress. On behalf of the good people 
of Maryland's Eighth District, I proudly salute his 14 years of service 
at Bend the Arc.

                          ____________________