Kulanu’s board member, Rabbi Stephen Leon, will be giving the opening prayer at the U.S. House of Representatives on July 22 at 10 a.m. Eastern time. It will be shown on TV on C-Span. We all congratulate him on this honor! Rabbi Leon has been a leader in welcoming Anousim (also known as Crypto Jews) back into the mainstream Jewish community.

In honor of this occasion, Sonya Loya wrote:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rabbi Stephen A. Leon, of Congregation B’nai Zion, El Paso, Texas. Meeting him has changed my life as the lives of many, many descendants of Crypto Jews and of Crypto Jews. His compassion, patience and vision of us fulfilling the promise of Abraham is happening in our day and time. The descendants of Abraham would be as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sands of the sea, until now that has never been a reality, since the Jewish people have always been one of the smallest groups of people on the planet.

He is all well-deserving of being chosen to say the opening prayer for the House of Representatives, on the 22nd of July, 2009. May Ha Shem bless the words of his mouth as he makes history!

Sonya A. Loya
Bat-Tzion Hebrew Learning Center