[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8524-8525]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



A TRIBUTE TO RABBI HILLEL COHN FOR 38 YEARS OF SERVICE TO CALIFORNIA'S 
                             INLAND EMPIRE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 17, 2001

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to pay 
tribute to my good friend Rabbi Hillel Cohn, who for the past 38 years 
has been a remarkable community leader, and a spiritual guiding force 
for thousands of members of Congregation Emanu El in San Bernardino 
County, California. After nearly four decades as leader of this 
congregation, Rabbi Cohn is retiring this week.
  Just a few weeks ago, Rabbi Cohn was present on this House floor to 
deliver our morning prayer. His message was a reflection of the central 
philosophy in his spiritual and community life: ``Let America pursue 
justice in our enforcement of laws, in our forms of punishment, in our 
methods of choosing our leaders, in our allocation of precious 
resources, in our expectations of other nations, and in our daily 
relations with one another.''
  Throughout his career in San Bernardino County, Rabbi Cohn has served 
as a community conscience and a voice of unity for people of all races, 
religions and cultures. He was the founding chairman of the San 
Bernardino Human Relations Commission, and was selected in 1996 as one 
of 5,500 ``community heroes'' across the country who carried the 
Olympics Torch.
  Rabbi Cohn's community involvement ranges from president of the 
county Mental Health Association and Family Service Agency, to serving 
on the bio-ethics committees of many local hospitals. He is a national 
leader in his faith, currently serving as treasurer of

[[Page 8525]]

the Central Conference of American Rabbis and serves on a team that 
counsels other rabbis. Many of his sermons have been published in 
``American Rabbi,'' and he has edited national books on rabbinical 
contracts and retirement.
  I began my community service career on the local school board about 
the time that Rabbi Cohn became the spiritual leader in Congregation 
Emanu El. It was clear even then that he would be a force to bring all 
of the people of our community together. Throughout his career, his 
integrity and reputation for conciliation have shown through, and I am 
grateful for his wise counsel on many matters.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in thanking Rabbi 
Cohn for his years of service and leadership, and to wish him and his 
wife Rita good luck in their future endeavors. I am sure they will be 
active members of our community for many years to come.

                          ____________________