Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on Rabbi Solomon Schiff, Greater Miami Jewish Federation, FL, June 18, 2009

"When Rabbis Bless Congress: The Great American Story of Jewish Prayers on Capitol Hill" ... buy the new book here:

full video of Rabbi Solomon Schiff prayer here

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen transcript: Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend my good friend, Rabbi Solomon Schiff, for the uplifting prayer that he delivered for all of us today, as well as for his tireless effort to strengthen our religious communities in my home district of south Florida. Rabbi Schiff serves as the Director of Chaplaincy Emeritus for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. In this role, Rabbi Schiff offers educational support and comfort to those in the Jewish communities in the United States, in Israel, and indeed throughout the world. I have long been aware of Rabbi Schiff's commitment and contributions to academia, to the Jewish community, and to the social welfare of all residents of south Florida. The spirit of optimism and determination that Rabbi Schiff possesses can be seen in this week's Torah portion. After returning from the Land of Israel, Caleb reports to the Jewish people that ``we should surely go up, and inherit the land; for we are certainly able.'' [[Numbers 13:30]]

Rabbi Schiff's hard work on behalf of the Jewish community has been tireless and always with contagious optimism. No task is too large and no cause is without merit. But his greatest achievement is his family, including his lovely wife, Shirley, and his three adult sons: Elliott, his wife, Alisa, and their children, Michael and Brooke; Jeffrey, his wife, Risa, and their children, Chananya, Moshe and Noah; and Steven, his wife, Jacqueline, and their children, Jennifer and Jeremy. The opening prayer Rabbi Schiff presented today reflects his intellectual fiber, as well as his determination to improve our community and our country. I thank Rabbi Schiff for his invocation and look forward to working with him in the years ahead.