congressional_record: CREC-2019-08-09-pt1-PgE1041-2
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| CREC-2019-08-09-pt1-PgE1041-2 | 2019-08-09 | 116 | 1 | RECOGNIZING REMARKS OF RABBI DR. ISRAEL ZOBERMAN | HOUSE | EXTENSIONS | RECOGNIZING | E1041 | E1041 | [{"name": "A. Donald McEachin", "role": "speaking"}] | 165 Cong. Rec. E1041 | Congressional Record, Volume 165 Issue 134 (Friday, August 9, 2019) [Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 134 (Friday, August 9, 2019)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1041] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] RECOGNIZING REMARKS OF RABBI DR. ISRAEL ZOBERMAN ______ HON. A. DONALD McEACHIN of virginia in the house of representatives Friday, August 9, 2019 Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record a statement from Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman, founder and spiritual leader of Temple Lev Tikvah in Virginia Beach, and the representative of the Jewish community at the City of Chesapeake's civic occasions. Consider ``Day of Caring'' To Honor Beach Victims (By Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman) At this trying and beclouded time of grief and sorrow, we gradually and painfully come to grips with the enormity of our losses diminishing us all as well as our newly discovered vulnerabilities. Our beloved Virginia Beach and the entire Hampton Roads community lost its beautiful but dangerously blinding innocence on that fateful Friday afternoon. How could we imagine that the mass shootings in other regions would not reach us too? Truth to be told no one is insulated and immune in the wide American landscape. What happens around us near and far is bound to affect us at home. However, we are obligated to protect ourselves as best as we can given whatever limitations we face. We are called upon now to pick up together the shattered pieces of a complex and confounding reality to reemerge rededicated and reenergized to make our threatened world, inwardly and outwardly, a safer home and better place for one and all. Our fallen 12 heroes who so callously and cowardly were taken from their loving families, co-workers, neighbors, friends and all of us, deserve no less. For their cherished memories' sake and our very survival and future let us engage more than ever with those around us, particularly the ones we deem to be beyond our intimate circle of close associates. We acknowledge that the social phenomenon of alienation is a hallmark of our challenging times. Pleasant surprises do await us when willing to reach out beyond the familiar and engage others in simple but far-reaching acts of human interaction that hitherto we regarded as too threatening and non-consequential. There is much to be learned, gained and prevented by exercising our extraordinary ability of ordinary communication in our wonderfully diverse human environment in Hampton Roads in which too many may feel lonely, unnoticed and undervalued. So called ``strangers'' cease to be strangers once we encounter and appreciate our common humanity and shared American dream in which we all have a critical stake. The Bible wisely instructs us that a celebration is not complete without including the strangers in our midst so they may transform their status, claiming their rightful place in society and in our hearts. Spreading more and more conscious but random acts of kindness and goodness in our shared garden of life and civic exchange, is bound to grow beneficial returns in kind. At times a reassuring smile and a generous act on the road and in the office can go a long way and even stymie road and office rage. Our democratic and educational institutions on all levels demand our involvement and support that necessary change should occur. Surely prudent and common-sense gun control legislation along with an accountable and responsible mental health system are on the agenda. Are we waiting for more mass shootings' tragedies, oceans of tears and cries of family survivors of different languages and geographies, and heart- wrenching memorial services to propel us into action? Ought we not teach, beginning at one's home, that each finite human life is of infinite worth, and each of us is an entire, irreplaceable universe of purpose and meaning reflecting the Most High? We are witnesses to what irreparable damage can be done by a few minutes of unchecked madness and unrelenting evil, using weapons of mass destruction equipped with silencers. Let us not allow a corrosive culture of death to replace a promising culture of life. It would be advantageous for our entire nation to take a day out for national soul-searching and resolve to delve into issues that should be paramount on our American agenda. A day in which we engage in discussions and activities toward healing our nation, creating a ``National Day of Caring'' that would create a ripple effect. The slogan ``VB Strong'' has joined us to the sorrowful and hurting family of previously affected communities, even as we pray and plan that our Virginia Beach is the last in such an unenviable category of suffering. I suggest that we be better served by the slogan, ``VB Cares,'' which is ultimately the source of authentic strength. What befell us will surely not define us, but we cannot deny it. It may yet refine us to become more compassionate, considerate and connected with each other. My 99-year-old mom, a Polish Holocaust survivor, called me from Israel that dark day, asking, ``What's happening to America?'' Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman is the founder and spiritual leader of Temple Lev Tikvah in Virginia Beach. He is Honorary Senior Rabbi Scholar at Eastern Shore Chapel Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach. He represents the Jewish community at the city of Chesapeake's civic occasions. ____________________ |