Full Text of HR0954 93rd General Assembly
HR0954 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the | 3 |
| State of Illinois are pleased to recognize milestone events in | 4 |
| the history of congregations in the State; and
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| WHEREAS, It has come to our attention that Temple B'nai | 6 |
| Israel of Aurora will be celebrating its centennial during the | 7 |
| year 2004; and
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| WHEREAS, In the late 19th and early 20th century, a number | 9 |
| of Eastern European Jews arrived in the Aurora area as part of | 10 |
| the second great European emigration; by 1904, about 20 Jewish | 11 |
| families had settled in Aurora; and
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| WHEREAS, The beginnings of organized worship were | 13 |
| relatively informal; a local business man, Barnett Yellin, led | 14 |
| the services and taught the children in religious school; the | 15 |
| early congregants informally took on the name "Sons of Abraham" | 16 |
| and prayed in various rented halls that were above the | 17 |
| businesses in downtown Aurora; by 1916, the group was more | 18 |
| formally organized and charged minimal dues; from time to time, | 19 |
| rabbis came from Chicago to lead services, especially for the | 20 |
| High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; and
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| WHEREAS, The first full-time rabbi, Nathan Rubenstein, was | 22 |
| engaged in the early 1920s; around that time, the congregants | 23 |
| chose a new name, Young Men's Hebrew Association of Aurora | 24 |
| (YMHA); this unusual name was said to reflect the congregants' | 25 |
| feelings that they were more than a congregation; they were a | 26 |
| community representing one of the most unusual Jewish | 27 |
| communities in the United States because they represented every | 28 |
| aspect, both religious and cultural; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1923, a State charter was granted to the YMHA; | 30 |
| officers and a board of directors were selected and immediately |
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| began to plan for a permanent house of worship; the | 2 |
| congregation's building, the YMHA Temple, was completed in | 3 |
| 1927; it still stands on North Lincoln Avenue on the edge of | 4 |
| downtown Aurora; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1961, the congregation moved to its present | 6 |
| site, located at 400 North Edgelawn in Aurora; the building | 7 |
| provides a sanctuary seating 200, a small chapel that | 8 |
| accommodates 50, a full set of classrooms for religious | 9 |
| education, and a large social hall that can be converted to an | 10 |
| addition to the sanctuary to accommodate additional | 11 |
| congregants, especially during High Holy Days; and
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| WHEREAS, During the previous year, coincident with the move | 13 |
| to the present location, the group changed its name to Temple | 14 |
| B'nai Israel; at that time, membership comprised about 130 to | 15 |
| 140 families, with almost all living in Aurora; and
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| WHEREAS, A number of rabbis have served the congregation | 17 |
| over the 100 year period and some went on to distinguished | 18 |
| national careers; notably, Rabbi Hyman Agress served for 35 | 19 |
| years, from 1963 to 1998; since 2001, Rabbi Shmuel Mann has led | 20 |
| the congregation; the group is governed by a board of directors | 21 |
| and a board of trustees; the current president is Esther | 22 |
| Pollock; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 24 |
| NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 25 |
| congratulate Temple B'nai Israel on the occasion of its | 26 |
| centennial; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 28 |
| presented to Temple B'nai Israel as an expression of our | 29 |
| respect and esteem and with best wishes for the congregation's | 30 |
| continued success.
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