[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23958]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING CANTOR PAMELA SAWYER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 17, 2004

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary 
contributions of Cantor Pamela Sawyer of Berkeley, California for ten 
years of dedicated service as Hazzan at Temple Israel of Alameda.
  Cantor Sawyer has been a resident of California since early 
childhood, and the study and performance of music has been a central 
component of her life since that time. After completing undergraduate 
and graduate studies in performance and composition, Cantor Sawyer 
began performing professionally in the Bay Area in local orchestras, 
pop, jazz, and salsa groups, and was a member of the Oakland Symphony 
Chorus. In addition, she has appeared on numerous pop and classical 
music recordings, and currently performs with her own ensemble, the Bay 
Area Women's Quartet.
  Cantor Sawyer began serious Jewish and Hebrew studies in 1992. After 
studying under various local cantors, she began serving Temple Israel 
as its Cantorial Soloist. In the years that followed, she went on not 
only to become the Temple's Cantor, but also to lead the Temple's B'nei 
Mitvah training as well as its religious studies for seventh graders. 
In addition to her role as an educator and mentor at Temple Israel, 
Cantor Sawyer has served as an educator at Congregation Netivot Shalom 
in Berkeley, B'nei Torah in Antioch, Kol Shofar in Tiburon, and at 
various other Bay Area congregations. Furthermore, she is currently a 
member of the Guild of Temple Musicians, the Cantors' Assembly, the 
Women Cantor's Network, the Northern California Board of Cantors, the 
National Association of Jewish Chaplaincy and the Alameda Ministerial 
Association. Finally, in addition to her service to congregations 
within the United States, Cantor Sawyer has worked with various 
congregations and presented at scholarly conferences in Germany, where 
she continues to give workshops and consult with clergy from various 
communities.
  On November 13, 2004, Cantor Sawyer will be honored in Oakland, 
California for her ten years of outstanding service to Temple Israel. I 
would like to take this opportunity to commend her for her exceptional 
contributions not only to the Jewish community, but also for her role 
as a leader and mentor in the areas of musical education and community 
service. By remaining active in and dedicated to these important areas, 
Cantor Sawyer has contributed immeasurably to Alameda County and the 
East Bay. The 9th Congressional District salutes and congratulates her 
for her many years of invaluable service.

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