[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5813-5814]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             100TH ANNIVERSARY OF BETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION

 Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor, MI. I appreciate 
the opportunity to speak about this truly significant milestone in the 
history of this congregation, as well as the city of Ann Arbor and 
Washtenaw County. I offer Beth Israel my warmest regards and 
congratulations on its centennial. I am also pleased to express my 
pride in the many contributions of the congregation's members, who 
dedicate their talents to benefit Beth Israel and the greater good in 
Ann Arbor.
  Established in 1916, Beth Israel was Ann Arbor's only Jewish 
congregation for many years. Initially, families met informally in the 
home of Osias Zwerdling to celebrate the Jewish High Holidays and 
community milestones. Mr. Zwerdling, a furrier by trade, would serve as 
the diverse congregation's president for the next 40 years. His 
leadership was particularly valuable given the fact that the 
congregation, as in many small American towns in the early twentieth 
century, operated without a rabbi. Instead, members of the congregation 
volunteered in a variety of roles, including teaching in Hebrew school, 
leading the congregation in prayer as cantor, or serving as its 
schochet to ensure the kosher slaughter of animals.
  Early on, Beth Israel hired Reverend Pincus Gropstein, who was paid 
$18 a week to serve the congregation's 30 families. In 1932, Rabbi 
Joshua Sperka became the congregation's first ordained rabbi and served 
in the role until 1934. After his departure, the congregation continued 
to rely on the devoted efforts of its members, who provided a steady 
backdrop to the contributions of Rabbi Julius Weinberg, who served from 
1952 to 1961; Rabbi

[[Page 5814]]

Allan Kensky, who served from 1971 to 1988; and Rabbi Robert Dobrusin, 
who has guided Beth Israel since 1988 with wisdom, humor, and warmth.
  Beth Israel Congregation was the first conservative congregation in 
southeast Michigan to become egalitarian, encouraging men and women to 
participate equally in the ritual and spiritual life of the 
congregation, and was the first conservative congregation in the United 
States to choose a female president. The community's welcoming spirit 
is exemplified in its longstanding support of the LGBT community, where 
it is an active leader in promoting inclusion in the conservative 
Jewish movement, which is highlighted by its advocacy for the 
ordination of LGBT rabbis. Moreover, Beth Israel has taken steps to 
ensure people with disabilities have full access to the synagogue and 
its services.
  In addition to nurturing an inclusive environment at Beth Israel, the 
congregation is committed to supporting the Jewish community at home 
and abroad. Members take steps to ensure that everyone has a place to 
celebrate the Passover Seder, volunteer in the congregation's extensive 
Hebrew language program, and send care packages throughout the world, 
including a care package that gave a soldier in Manila and Jewish 
communities in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Uganda the chance to celebrate 
Purim. The synagogue is also proud of its sponsorship of trips to 
Israel, as well as serious dialogue it fosters on issues related to 
Israel and the Middle East. Beyond its service to the Jewish community, 
Beth Israel is committed to the larger Ann Arbor community; playing an 
active role in city's Interfaith Hospitality Network, Interfaith Round 
Table, and the Ann Arbor Shelter Association.
  Once again, I applaud Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor, MI, on 
its 100th anniversary. The congregation's generosity and commitment to 
diversity exemplify the values of the people of Ann Arbor and the State 
of Michigan, who I am proud to represent in the Senate. I thank Beth 
Israel for its decades of service to the Jewish community and everyone 
in Ann Arbor. I wish the congregation and leadership of Beth Israel 
many more decades of success and may they always go from strength to 
strength.

                          ____________________