[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6077]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF OFELIA RUDER'S 50 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE CUBAN 
                      HEBREW CONGREGATION OF MIAMI

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 7, 2012

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize a remarkable woman 
who has meant so much to our South Florida community--Ofelia Ruder. 
Ofelia has dedicated her life in service to the Cuban Hebrew 
Congregation of Miami for the last 50 years, starting out as Secretary 
in 1962 and eventually becoming its Executive Director.
  For the last half-century, Ofelia has been the cornerstone of the 
Cuban Hebrew Congregation in Miami Beach. Through her tireless work on 
behalf of the congregation she has become an influential leader and 
role-model, not just for the Cuban-Jewish community, but for South 
Florida as a whole.
  What started out as a small group of Jewish Cuban families in 1961, 
many of whom having been forced to flee their home country for a second 
time, the Cuban Hebrew Congregation has become a dynamic and thriving 
institution that represents a cultural and educational epicenter for 
Judaism in South Florida. The Cuban Hebrew Congregation's community, 
``El Circulo,'' with Ofelia at the forefront, has been committed to 
outstanding service to the Jewish community. For more than half a 
century Ofelia has been actively engaging our entire community, 
committed to improving our South Florida community and instilling the 
importance of community service and unity among those around her.
  In addition to her numerous accomplishments, Ofelia is a proud mother 
of two sons, Albert and Bernie, who have continued her legacy of public 
service and have become dedicated public servants themselves.
  On behalf of ``El Circulo'' and the entire South Florida community, I 
wish to congratulate and thank Ofelia for her 50 years of service with 
the Cuban Hebrew Congregation. I expect to hear ever greater things yet 
from Ofelia and the Cuban Hebrew Congregation.

                          ____________________