[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 8232-8233] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]DR. RABBI PAUL B. SILTON ______ HON. MICHAEL R. McNULTY of new york in the house of representatives Wednesday, March 28, 2007 Mr. McNULTY. Madam Speaker, this morning I had the honor of introducing our guest chaplain for today, my very dear friend and teacher, Dr. Rabbi Paul Silton of Temple Israel in Albany, New York. In order for House Members to have a greater understanding of Rabbi Silton's extraordinary accomplishments, I submit a more detailed description of his impressive background: Dr. Rabbi Paul Silton, Rabbi of Temple Israel, the largest conservative synagogue in northeast New York, received his B.A. in Philosophy from Boston University, an M.A. in Hebrew Literature and Rabbinical Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1970, and a Doctor of Divinity in 1996. At his graduation from the Jewish Theological Seminary, he was awarded the top prize in Pastoral Counseling. While at the Seminary, he studied at the Meir Yeshiva in Brooklyn and taught at religious schools in [[Page 8233]] Fort Lee, New Jersey; Hartford, Connecticut; and Rumson, New Jersey. He also served as Gabbai of the Seminary Synagogue under the supervision of Dr. Rabbi Saul Lieberman and Dr. Rabbi Louis Finkelstein. Prior to his move to Albany, New York, Rabbi Silton spent 6 years as a teacher and Education Director at Camps Ramah in Glen Spey, New York and in Palmer, Massachusetts. Rabbi Silton arrived in Albany after serving as Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams, Massachusetts. While in North Adams, Rabbi Silton taught at Williams College and served as prison chaplain. Already in 1974, the pattern of Rabbi Silton's Rabbinate began to diverge from that of his colleagues. Here at Temple Israel, he began his career as Educational Director for students N-12, including the Communal High School, Camp Givah Director and assistant to Rabbi Kieval. In each of those areas, he actively fostered growth and change. Gradually the nursery school expanded into a full Early Childhood Center, servicing day care needs of pre-kindergarten youngsters and their parents. It now includes Baby and Me, Mommy (or Daddy) and Me toddler programs, and morning and afternoon nursery. The Religious School extended to 7 hours a week and featured a school-wide Israeli Dance Program, which eventually grew to present dance performances in Albany, Boston, and New York City. On Shabbatot and High Holidays, preprimary and primary children in addition to ``Juniors'' could now attend services especially designed for them. As they grew older, students could tour and study in Israel with double the amount of scholarship aid from generous member endowments and community sources. Adults could now attend class 5 days a week and occasionally participate in Hebrew Reading Marathons; Professor Stephen Berk's lecture series became a most successful Adult Education program. At Camp Givah, Rabbi Silton founded the Kibbutz Program, inspired the building of Yam Sarah (Givah's lake), the arts and crafts center, and the early childhood shelter. He introduced and developed programs in boating, gymnastics, computers, horseback riding, and Red Cross Boating Certification. For younger children who literally could not wait until next summer's Givah excitement, he originated and organized Camp Horef Katan, a winter camp. As Rabbi Silton's responsibilities increased, so his avid interest in many other areas continued to expand. He founded Holocaust Survivors and Friends in Pursuit of Justice and he hosted the first major 3-day national Holocaust conference for 1500 participants in April 1984 at Temple Israel. Since then he has organized a multitude of services for the community Kristalnacht and Holocaust Memorial commemorations, featuring international figures such as Beate Klarsfeld. He visited Germany several times in support of those testifying at war crimes trials, to officiate at an interfaith service in Passau, Germany, and at other events that united survivors and liberators. Silton's most passionate efforts, however, have focused on Temple and community. In addition to attending to traditional Rabbinical duties at Temple Israel, he greatly expanded the Bar and Bat Mitzvah roles of boys and girls, initiated full reading of the scrolls by women on various holidays, a women's prayer group, Rosh Chodesh benching, P'Sukei D'Zimra, and regular Torah reading; he introduced Birkat Kohanim on an ongoing basis, a hashkamah (early) minyan and a learners' minyan. He also began a daily study program of Jewish text which takes place every morning. This study program has continued for the past 10 years. In addition, he strengthened the daily minyanim, instituted Yom Kippur dialogues with inspiring international figures, initiated holiday dinners and workshops, organized Hassidic Song Festivals, Cantorial concerts and innumerable Kallot featuring international performers and scholars. Through the efforts of Rabbi Silton, Temple Israel has received numerous awards from United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism including those for: Israel Affairs, Camp Givah, Performing Arts, Community Relations and Israel/Masorti Affairs as well as Education Awards for Programming, High School Education and the Framework for Excellence Synagogue School Program Award. He assisted in the founding of HADAR, the award-winning Judaic Art and Book Center at Temple Israel. Rabbi Silton has also been featured in four books including The Outraged Conscience by Rochelle G. Saidel, 1984; Against the Stream: Growing Up Where Hitler Used to Live by Anna Rosmus, 2002; Out of Passau: Leaving a City Hitler Called Home by Anna Rosmus, 2004; and in a soon to be published book about the Sabbath by Christopher Ringwald. All of the above mentioned activities attracted the community to Temple Israel but Silton directly involved himself in countless community events as well. For nearly 20 years he directed the Communal High School and taught at the Bet Shraga Capital District Hebrew Academy. When Soviet Jewish immigration was at its height, he supervised the ritual circumcisions of nearly all Soviet immigrants' male children, arranged and officiated at the first Russian Jewish wedding and Bar Mitzvah of these newly settled immigrants in the Capital District. In addition to serving on a host of community boards and committees including the Police Review Board under Mayor Gerald Jennings, he initiated the first Jewish-Latino Seder, hosted the third annual Black-Jewish Seder, assisted the Aviva chapter of B'nai B'rith with the first Seder for the developmentally disabled, discussed Judaism with hundreds of church groups and taught basic Judaism classes and has lectured at area colleges including College of St. Rose, Maria College, Siena College, and SUNY Albany. He also worked with Mayor Jennings on the observance of Yom HaShoah to honor the late Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese ``Oskar Schindler''. In 1994, Silton built the first mikveh owned by Temple Israel to serve the congregation and the entire Capital district community. The building of the mikveh has been an inspiration to other conservative congregations throughout the country. An article about it will be coming out in the very near future of United Synagogue Review. On an ongoing basis, Rabbi Silton teaches in the Temple Israel Educational Center: junior high, high school, and adult education departments. Following the Six Day War, Rabbi Silton spent a year of study in Israel with his wife, Faye. While studying at the Hebrew University and the Rav Kook Yeshiva in Jerusalem, he learned to become a Mohel. Ordained in 1968 by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, he has officiated at thousands of B'ritol Milah from Syracuse to the Catskills to Western Massachusetts. Rabbi Silton and his wife, Faye, are the parents of Elana (Dr. Ari) Moskowitz, Michal (David, Esq.) Kahan, Dr. Akiva (Dr. Sharon) Silton, Tamar, Esq. (Jeremy) Epstein, Aviva (Ami) Robinson, Nava Silton and Shira Silton. They currently have 15 grandchildren. ____________________