[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15995]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  IN RECOGNITION OF RABBI STEVEN WEIL

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Rabbi 
Steven Weil, who on August 20, 2000, will be honored for over six years 
of faithful service at Young Israel of Oak Park, the largest Orthodox 
synagogue in Michigan. Rabbi Weil will soon move to the Los Angeles 
area to pursue a large pulpit position in another Orthodox synagogue, 
and this occasion provides the Orthodox Jewish Community of Detroit 
with an opportunity not only to say good-bye to Rabbi Weil, but also to 
thank him for the wonderful work he has done during the past six years.
  Under the guidance of Rabbi Weil, the congregation of Young Israel 
doubled in size, an accomplishment which can be directly attributed to 
his devotion to spreading the tenets of his faith. In addition to 
developing a lecture and discussion series within his own congregation, 
he and his wife, Yael, were frequent lecturers at the Agency for Jewish 
Education and at the Jewish Community Center. He also had an on-going 
cable television series on the topic of Jewish history.
  Rabbi Weil had a vision of creating cohesiveness within the Jewish 
community and developing future Jewish leadership. He was able to 
achieve this goal by enacting several different programs, including a 
trip to Israel and Prague for young Jewish Orthodox, Conservative and 
Reform couples, as well as a March of the Living Youth Unity Mission. 
He also headed the Metropolitan Detroit Federation Young Leadership 
Cabinet, an organization which tutors the future leaders of the Detroit 
Jewish community.
  Rabbi Weil served on the boards of Yad Ezra, the Detroit kosher food 
bank, the Jewish Apartments and Services and the Neighborhood project. 
He was one of eight rabbis in North America selected to be a L.E.A.D 
fellow, with the responsibility of leading Orthodox rabbis into the 
21st century. He was also on the executive committee of the Council of 
Orthodox rabbis in Detroit and of the National Rabbinical Council of 
America.
  I applaud Rabbi Steven Weil for his many contributions to the Jewish 
community of the State of Michigan. He is a man dedicated to his faith, 
his family and his community, and he will be dearly missed. On behalf 
of the entire United States Senate, I congratulate Rabbi Weil on the 
great success he had at Young Israel, and wish him continued success as 
he moves on to Los Angeles, California.

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