[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 27554]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING TEMPLE BETH EL'S 80TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 17, 2007

  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Temple Beth 
El as it celebrates its 80th anniversary. A celebration will be held on 
October 19 in my hometown of Flint, Michigan.
  Members of the community committed to principles of Reform Judaism 
founded Temple Beth El in 1927. The first services were held in the 
Paterson Building in downtown Flint. Rabbi Leo M. Franklin of Temple 
Beth El Detroit presided over the signing of the Articles of 
Association. Maurice Rosenbaum, Moses Rosenthal, Arthur Dubois, and 
Harry Winegarden were the first officers. The Temple Reform Sisterhood, 
under the direction of Mrs. James Rapport, started on June 8, 1927 and 
officially changed its name to Temple Beth Sisterhood when Temple Beth 
El was formally founded later in the same year.
  In January 1935 the first permanent home for the Temple was 
purchased. Located at the corner of Liberty and East Second Street, it 
provided a place for services and religious school. The mortgage was 
burned on October 19, 1941 and the following year the Temple joined the 
Union of American Hebrew Congregations. It remains affiliated with this 
organization until today.
  Under the direction of Rabbi Morton M. Applebaum the congregation 
expanded and soon needed a larger space. The Temple moved to the 
building on Ballenger Highway and the first services held there took 
place on April 14, 1950. The Jewish community worldwide was in mourning 
over the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. The role of 
the synagogue as the center of Jewish life took on new meaning and the 
opening of the new Temple was heralded as an example of the vibrancy of 
the Flint Reform Jewish Community.
  To meet the needs of the community Temple Beth El moved to its 
present location. This move has provided opportunities to interact with 
its sister congregation, Beth Israel. The sanctuary and building were 
designed to enhance the congregation's ability to face the future and 
meet the challenges of tomorrow. Under the direction of Rabbi Karen 
Companez, the Temple's first female Rabbi, Temple Beth El has augmented 
its reputation as the friendly ``Temple Family.''
  Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representative to rise with me 
today and applaud Temple Beth El as it celebrates 80 years of spiritual 
vitality and dedicated community involvement. I congratulate them for 
their achievement and echo Dr. Max S. Hart when he prayed, ``May God 
let his countenance shine upon all of us, and cause this Congregation 
to flourish and prosper for the next fifty years.''

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