CELEBRATING WITH LADY LIBERTY, AMERICAN FREEDOM'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY

On 2026-07-13, Representative Jennifer A. Kiggans (R-VA-2) delivered a floor speech titled "CELEBRATING WITH LADY LIBERTY, AMERICAN FREEDOM'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY" in the House.

CELEBRATING WITH LADY LIBERTY, AMERICAN FREEDOM'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E667] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CELEBRATING WITH LADY LIBERTY, AMERICAN FREEDOM'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY ______ HON. JENNIFER A. KIGGANS of virginia in the house of representatives Monday, July 13, 2026 Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record remarks submitted at the request of a Virginia Beach constituent, Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman of Temple Lev Tikvah, and are a reflection of his views: There they stood, God's assembled Hosts from every corner known In Ellis Island's Registry Room, With eyes turned upward Toward a majestic ceiling, The pinnacle of a promising universe. They brought their millennial prayers And the crushing burden carried To the doorstep of a new world. If only they'd be allowed To enter, to be free Awaiting too is our loving Mother Lady Liberty whose light Saves at the sea of stormy life, Triumphantly lifting high the torch Of unquenched freedom-- Humanity's embedded inspiration-- That here human dignity--divinity Would not surrender despite setbacks-- The alarming rise of appalling old Antisemitisim included--upheld by The indispensable Angel of Responsibility, A guarding-guiding presence that cannot Be shaken, with towering Lady Liberty's Tears of joy and sorrow spread in waters Ever restless, Will her anxious children Huddled with heartfelt universal prayer Soon find out that they wouldn't be abandoned. That the God of all the troubled accompanies Them to the long beckoning Land of Promise, Their Promised Land as well? Don't let the grand American dream vanish, It has already lasted 250 years, to ever be matched By a grand American reality blessed by Shalom's Eternal blessings of healing, hope and harmony! Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman is founder of Temple Lev Tikvah and Honorary Senior Rabbi Scholar at Eastern Shore Chapel Episcopal Church, both in Virginia Beach. He is past National Interfaith Chair for JCPA (Jewish Counsel for Public Affairs). He is a member of the Holocaust's surviving remnant of European Jewry. ____________________