[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15041]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   WELCOMING DR. DAVID HALPERN, RABBI, FLATBUSH PARK JEWISH CENTER, 
                           BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

  (Mr. LANTOS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to welcome to the Chamber 
Rabbi David Halpern, who offered our opening prayer. I thank him for 
his thoughtful invocation.
  Madam Speaker, Rabbi Halpern's accomplishments in his community of 
Flatbush, Brooklyn, have touched many lives across the Nation, and his 
work merits national recognition.
  He leads the Flatbush Park Jewish Center. He is the Principal of the 
religious school there, which he helped found in 1952. He sought to 
create a place where religiously observant and religiously curious 
alike can feel comfortable; to advance the goal of Jewish learning; and 
to support Jewish causes around our country and around the globe. He 
also served as a Chaplain in the 71st Infantry of the 42nd Division of 
the National Guard for 10 years, and he sits on the New York board of 
Rabbis.
  Madam Speaker, the esteem in which the Flatbush Park Jewish Center is 
held indicates that Rabbi Halpern's efforts have been an unqualified 
success. In recognition of his sense of compassion and leadership, he 
was chosen to speak on behalf of the community of Flatbush in the wake 
of the 9/11 tragedy.
  Madam Speaker, I am delighted that he was able to share some of his 
wisdom and grace with us today. We admire his commitment to his faith 
and to his community.

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