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“TRIBUTE TO RABBI STEVEN FOSTER AND SENATOR JOYCE FOSTER” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2828-E2829 on Nov. 19, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO RABBI STEVEN FOSTER AND SENATOR JOYCE FOSTER
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HON. DIANA DeGETTE
of colorado
in the house of representatives
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Ms. DeGETTE. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of a distinguished couple in the 1st Congressional District of Colorado, Rabbi Steven Foster and State Senator Joyce Foster. Rabbi Foster has announced that he will retire in June 2010 after four decades at Denver's Temple Emanuel, the oldest Jewish congregation in Colorado. On this occasion, I rise to pay tribute to the Fosters and to their exceptional service to our community and our world.
The Fosters moved to Denver in 1970, when Rabbi Foster accepted his first position as an ordained rabbi at Temple Emanuel after receiving degrees in Hebrew Letters at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. Together they have raised three children and have made Denver a better place for all its residents.
The first Temple Emanuel with which Rabbi Foster was affiliated was in his hometown of Milwaukee, where he grew up attending the synagogue during the emerging civil rights movement. By the time of his bar mitzvah, he was determined he would become a rabbi. As a senior in college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he traveled to Alabama to walk in the historic Freedom March led by Dr. Martin Luther King to the state capitol in Montgomery. His actions marked a lifelong commitment to social justice.
Rabbi Foster has been an activist for social justice, an advocate for interfaith outreach, and a spiritual leader to the thousands of Temple Emanuel congregants. Rabbi Foster's work has included founding the Temple Emanuel Preschool and Kindergarten, Herzl Day School, and Stepping Stones to a Jewish Me, an outreach program for interfaith families. He has served on the boards of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, National Council of Justice and Peace, United Way, and Allied Jewish Federation, to name just a few.
Rabbi Foster has taken on all these tasks while also tirelessly devoting himself to the spiritual needs of his flock. Never reticent to speak out and take action on social issues, Rabbi Foster has worked assiduously against the death penalty and for racial equality, reproductive rights, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. In the words of Rabbi Foster, ``Either we are all created in God's image, or we're not.'' Temple Emanuel's largest community service project, Mitzvah Day, embodies Rabbi Foster and Temple Emanuel's commitment to social justice, as hundreds of families go into the Denver community and perform good deeds.
Joyce Foster grew up in Benton Harbor, Michigan. She was educated at Lake Michigan College and Roosevelt University and Northwestern University in Chicago, where she met Rabbi Foster. In 1977, she began a 16-year career at Jewish Family Service in Denver, where, as Director of Employment Services, she worked with many refugees from the former Soviet Union and Pacific Rim countries. In 1993, she ran for Denver City Council. Upon her election, she became the first Jewish woman to sit on the Council. She subsequently spent 10 years representing District 4 and served as Council President during 2001-2002. As a Councilwoman and Council President, she was a leader on transportation, land use issues, and regional cooperation between the City and its surrounding suburbs. She represented Denver on the Denver Regional Council of Governments Board, and developed close working relationships with other cities and counties, business and transportation organizations, and state agencies such as the Colorado Department of Transportation. One of her signature accomplishments was working with Denver middle and high school students to help build a skate park in downtown Denver, which helped reduce crime and benefited the community by providing an after-school activity for young people.
After retiring from the Denver City Council, in 2008 Joyce Foster was elected to represent her community as Senate Senator for Colorado's District 35. As a State Senator, Joyce Foster has been a champion for access to health care as a basic human right and for high-quality education for all children. Named by Denver's 5280 magazine as one of four Colorado ``Freshman Legislators to Watch,'' Senator Foster has earned a reputation as a savvy legislator who reaches across the aisle to serve the public good.
On behalf of the citizens of the 1st Congressional District, I wish to express our gratitude to Rabbi Steven Foster and Senator Joyce Foster. Through their commitment to public service and social justice, they have made our community a better place. We look forward the continued involvement of this remarkable couple in our civic life. Please join me in commending these distinguished public servants.
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