[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15801-15802]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      WELCOMING THE GUEST CHAPLAIN

  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to thank Rabbi Baruch Frydman-
Kohl for his invocation this morning and welcome him and his beloved 
wife Josette to the Senate.
  Rabbi Baruch's father Jack and my father Max were brothers and 
Europeans during the First World War. Both were exiled to Siberia. 
Later, after my father immigrated to America, he helped Jack and his 
family come to Milwaukee.
  Baruch is the Anne and Max Tanenbaum senior rabbi of Best Tzedec 
Congregation, the largest synagogue community in Canada. The focus of 
his rabbinate has been family education, lifelong learning, and care 
for the housebound, hospitalized, and homeless. Beyond the synagogue, 
the rabbi is the president of the Toronto Board of Rabbis and recently 
organized the Path of Abraham mission to bring Jews, Christians, and 
Muslims to the Holy Land to explore the challenges of three religions, 
two nations, and one land.
  Baruch's list of accomplishments and credentials is as impressive as 
it is long. I ask unanimous consent to have a copy of his biography 
printed in the Record following my remarks.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. KOHL. I will just add to this list his place in my heart as a 
beloved cousin, valued friend, and welcomed reflection of all about our 
fathers that was strong, smart, and good. I thank the rabbi for his 
time and attention to the Senate today.

                               Exhibit 1


                       Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl

       Baruch Frydman-Kohl is the Anne and Max Tanenbaum Senior 
     Rabbi of Beth Tzedec Congregation, the largest synagogue 
     community in Canada. The focus of his rabbinate has been a 
     commitment to family education, life-long learning and care 
     for the housebound, hospitalized and homeless. Rabbi Baruch 
     initiated the development of a ``synaplex'' of innovative 
     ritual and educational opportunities to encourage more 
     participation in synagogue life.
       Beyond the synagogue, the Rabbi is the President of the 
     Toronto Board of Rabbis and recently organized the Path of 
     Abraham mission to bring Jews, Christians and Muslims to the 
     Holy Land to explore the challenges of three religions, two 
     nations and one land. He serves on the Board of UJA 
     Federation of Toronto, has served on the Executive Committee 
     of the Rabbinical Assembly, and as past president of two of 
     its regions. He was awarded a Coolidge Fellowship to pursue 
     research in an inter-faith community at the Episcopal 
     Divinity School at Harvard University. The Rabbi received his 
     doctorate in Jewish Philosophy from the Jewish Theological 
     Seminary and is a Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman 
     Institute of Jerusalem. Rabbi Frydman-Kohl is the author of 
     scholarly articles in the area of Jewish philosophy and 
     mysticism.
       Rabbi Baruch's father, Jack, and Senator Kohl's father, 
     Max, were brothers and young teenagers during the First World 
     War when they were caught between the Austrian-Hungarian 
     Empire and Czarist Russia. They were taken captive and sent 
     to exile in Siberia. Later, after Max's immigration to 
     America, he helped to bring Jack and his family to Milwaukee. 
     Through their love and care for each other, the two brothers 
     enabled each other to survive war and to build a new life in 
     America.
       Rabbi Baruch is married to Josette. They are the parents of 
     Yakov (married to Sarah), Rafi and Amir and the doting new 
     grandparents of Ilana Adi.

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader.

[[Page 15802]]


  Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is a remarkable short history, very 
amazing how wonderful our country is. I note just in passing that my 
wife's father, my father-in-law, was born in Russia, emigrated to the 
United States like the rabbi and Senator Kohl's father.

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