Jennifer Kiggans

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 7365, which would designate the United States Post Office located at 1225 Kempsville Road in Virginia Beach as the Colonel Edward D. Shames Post Office Building. Colonel Shames was a proud Virginian, a decorated World War II veteran, and a member of one of the most storied units in American military history: Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Colonel Shames enlisted in the Army in 1942 and volunteered to become a paratrooper. On June 6, 1944, he parachuted into Normandy as part of the D-Day invasion. During the Normandy campaign, his leadership under fire earned him a battlefield commission, and he would go on to serve as an officer in Easy Company. He fought in Operation Market Garden, endured the brutal Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne, and participated in the Allied advance into Germany. For his courage and sacrifice in combat, Colonel Shames was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. The remarkable story of Easy Company would later become known around the world through Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers and the television series it inspired. But Colonel Shames' service to our country did not end with World War II. He continued serving in the Army Reserve and in our national security community before retiring with the rank of colonel in 1973. He eventually made Virginia Beach his home, where he remained an active member of our community and a strong advocate for veterans and military remembrance. When Colonel Shames passed away in 2021 at the age of 99, he was the last surviving officer of Easy Company. Mr. Speaker, in Hampton Roads, we understand that the freedoms we enjoy today were secured by generations of Americans who answered the call to serve. Colonel Edward D. Shames was one of those Americans. By placing his name on the Kempsville Road Post Office, we can ensure that his story, and the courage, sacrifice, and patriotism of the Greatest Generation he represented, continues to be remembered by the Virginia Beach community for generations to come. I am proud that this legislation has received bipartisan support, and I thank my colleagues for helping us bring it to the House floor. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 7365 and help us provide this lasting tribute to a distinguished Virginia veteran and American hero.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 5063, the Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act. I have the privilege of representing a district that lives on the beach and the bay. For families across coastal Virginia and the millions of Americans who visit our Federal beaches every year, water safety is incredibly important. Last year, we saw firsthand what can happen when the Federal Government fails to adequately staff these Federal beaches. Following a Federal hiring freeze, Assateague Island National Seashore was unable to provide its normal lifeguard coverage at the Federal beach in Chincoteague, Virginia. Families continued visiting and swimming, but the lifeguards they had come to rely on were not there. Our local leaders stepped up. The town of Chincoteague and Accomack County took on unforeseen costs to make sure lifeguards returned to the beach and families could safely enjoy the water. Our local governments should never be left scrambling to solve a Federal staffing problem on their own. That is why I introduced the Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act. My bill provides a commonsense solution. When the Department of the Interior determines that a Federal swimming area is facing a lifeguard staffing shortage, it can partner with local governments to provide the necessary coverage. Importantly, when a local government steps up to provide those lifeguards, the Federal Government will reimburse it for the reasonable costs it incurs. This applies to designated swimming areas managed by the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation that are normally monitored by Federal lifeguards. Mr. Speaker, this bill is about public safety, accountability, and giving our communities a solution when Washington falls short. I am grateful to the local leaders on the Eastern Shore who worked with us after seeing this problem firsthand. I am proud that we have an opportunity to make sure communities across the country have another tool to keep their beaches safe. No family visiting a Federal beach should have to wonder whether a lifeguard will be there if and when an emergency happens. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

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: The major celebration of the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah (The New Year 5787) and Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) are enhanced by a probing and provocative volume of the quality of To Be A Jew Today (A New Guide to God, Israel and the Jewish People) New York: Farrar Strause and Giroux. The recent book by Noah Feldman, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law as well as chair of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University where he is the founding director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli law. Feldman raises fundamental and foundational issues that are at the heart of contemporary Jewish identity that all thoughtful and concerned Jews from throughout the wide spectrum of Jewish affiliation and practice along with those on the periphery of active Jewish life, would find both meaningful and purposeful to wrestle with. Additionally, Feldman's profound scholarship is not of the dry type, rather perks intellectual curiosity while appealing in a clarion call to a big tent approach, to pause and reassess core Jewish themes in conversation with one who shys from being authoritative. ``In the course of writing this book, I intentionally have not flagged what I think is now in it. My goal in that isn't to make what I write seem obviously true. It's to allow you, the reader, to use your own reaction to gauge and solidify what you think, not what I think. You can certainly read this book by arguing with it. I read a lot of books this way, and it often works for me. If you want, however, you can also read this book not argumentatively but introspectively--the way I wrote it. Though the book is designed with a lofty and a bit presumptive goal as ``A New Guide to God, Israel and the Jewish people, ``It does reflect the author's own respect for high academic standing and his heavy stake in reaching out for a Jewish world in much disarray spiritually, socially and politically with the shaking events he mentions of October 7 offering an urgent backdrop as a uniting Jewish factor. Thus it is not happenstance that he refers to the ``Guide of the Perplexed'' by the recognized giant Jewish thinker of all times, the medieval Moses Maimonides, who reached out to his own perplexed generation confronted and challenged by Greek, Islamic and Pagan influences while attempting to secure and anchor an authentic Jewish response and identity without imposing his own perspective. Yet he aroused the ire of the rabbinic establishment who called for banning his book but might have resulted, surmises Feldman, in the Talmud's burning by the Church in Paris in 1242. The ``New Guide'' offered by the author is his own attempt to follow on the Maimonidean model with reaching to his own perplexed times in a way that clarifies without setting himself up as the supreme arbiter of such an imposing agenda of discourse. ``One initial aim of this book is to chart a map of contemporary Jewish lives and ideas, a map the reader can use not to identify bad Jews but to explore and appreciate the many different ways Jews can be and think and experience. It can be used as a field guide to Jewish people and ideas as they exist today, and as they are being transformed for the future.'' Feldman's embracing and inclusive approach focuses on the notion that a ``bad Jew'' which is common, including the author, to how Jews feel in relation to their demanding heritage regulating Jewish conduct, is in fact alien to Judaism. Given the trying circumstances of the historical Jewish experience, including forced mass conversion of Jews in the medieval era, the rabbis' impulse was not to add misery to fellow Jews caught up in extraordinary painful dilemmas of life and death issues but to allow them a continued sense of belonging, though not in practice, to their eternal Jewish covenant, with perhaps hope that their oppressive condition might be altered. The concise and clear Talmudic dictum. ``An Israelite though he has sinned, is an Israelite,'' speaks volumes of paramount Jewish inclusivity promoted by the author as a continued key principle for a wide pluralistic system. Feldman proves for the sake of it or plain survival, he is an iconoclast, criticizing the State of Israel for not admitting Brother Daniel--the Polish Jew who converted to Catholicism in the Holocaust's harrowing circumstances--under the Law of Return. It does contradict a hallowed rabbinic instruction though secular Israel's decision was ironically influenced by its religious establishment. Indeed there is a blurring of the religious and national poles in Jewish identity. Jewish survival as a tiny minority of some 16 million Jews in a global population of 7.6 billion is a salient factor, not lost on Feldman, which only strengthens his gentle yet forceful argument for a wide framework for Jewish affiliation and acceptance in an age characterized by global natural and man-made threats to human survival along with radical questioning concerning the applicability and relevancy of all things Jewish. Surely the author's ``openness'' attempting to overarch the denominational Jewish divide which risks overreaching, would find fierce opposition from traditionalists lacking his spiritual audacity and courage for the sake of vital Jewish survival in face of assembling mighty odds with modernity diminishing long held claims such as heralded theme of Jewish choseness which the author fully probes as he does with all that he skillfully analyses. Feldman regards Jewish choseness as a major factor in entrenched antisemitism, ``This choseness, I am suggesting, is a provocation to anyone not so chosen, because it amounts to the claim that the Master of the Universe has chosen me and not you.'' As he points out, there is solid grounding as in the universal proclamations of the prophet Amos, to tone down the double edge sword of exclusive choseness giving rise to a Baruch Goldstein, an American physician who committed the infamous massacre in Hebron's Tomb of the Patriarchs that houses a mosque. ``He was a Modern Orthodox Religious Zionist who had been educated at a high school nearly identical to mine. His actions had shaken my belief structure like no other event in my life, before or since.'' The author concludes his uniquely engaging book with a theme that runs throughout, namely that characterizing any Jew as ``bad'' is contrary to the hallmark of traditional Jewish inclusiveness, and counterproductive to the cause of Jewish survival and vitality. He raises as an example the complex saga of Elisha ben Abuyah, the Other, as a case in point highlighting multifaceted Jewish thinking which errs toward acceptance of the Other in our own Jewish midst. He finds it kin to Jacob's wrestling encounter with God's messenger. ``That struggle- embrace with God lies at the heart of this book. It lies, I have tried to show, at the heart of the Jewish past, the Jewish present, and the hoped-for and possible Jewish future, which we pray to be able to create. It can, I believe, explain and engage and guide the ongoing encounter between God, Israel, and the Jewish people. This irresistible and indispensable treasure trove of wisdom and guidance from a teacher par excellence who cares deeply about the Jewish future while not mincing words, is a most welcome new source for discourse, discussion, study and growth. It is indeed a gift to both Jews and non-Jews for our perplexed and perplexing times. We remember the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with the Jewish New Year coinciding this season.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on one of our Nation's most sacred founding principles: the idea that the Federal Government should work for the American people, not the other way around. It is an ideal that dates back to the founding of our constitutional Republic and one that I never thought would need to be reaffirmed. However, it became a topic of debate this week, as my colleagues and I voted to advance a resolution condemning and denouncing socialism in all of its forms. Socialism, at its core, represents the very antithesis of small government. In socialist economies, the means of production are wholly owned and controlled by the State, completely dismissing the potential for human innovation and without the accountability and opportunity that only come from free market capitalism. Growing up during the Cold War, members of my generation witnessed the failure of the very socialist policies that some are advocating for today. We saw the poverty-stricken cities of eastern Europe, the underserved healthcare system of Cuba, and the violence committed against political dissidents that bravely spoke out against their failing governments. Socialism is not just about bad policy, but it represents principles that are fundamentally at odds with economic freedom and individual liberty upon which our great Nation was founded. I believe, just as the Founding Fathers believed, that government works best when it gets out of your way. We should never feel government. Unfortunately, so many rules and regulations have been put in place on local, State, and Federal Government levels that are growing the size of our government. Limited government means knowing where the Government's responsibilities end and where people's freedoms begin. That means cutting unnecessary red tape and protecting taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse. Choosing to ignore identifiable fraud in our government isn't just wrong. It is theft at the expense of the American taxpayer. A small government is one that supports our small businesses because it recognizes that they are the backbone of our local economies, driving job creation and opportunity across our Nation. A small government gives businesses the freedom to invest, grow, and put more men and women to work. A small government protects our environment without stifling growth and development. A small government sets its eyes on the responsibilities that only it can fulfill, from taking care of our veterans and securing our borders to providing a strong national defense and standing by our allies. We, as elected officials, have a duty to meet the constitutionally outlined obligations entrusted upon us every election day. These values that prioritize a small government are important to me as a commonsense Conservative, and they are the very same values that our brave men and women in uniform have gone to some of the most dangerous places around the world to defend. I have worn that uniform, my husband has worn that uniform, and my son proudly wears it today, as do so many across Virginia's Second District. I am proud of the work that I, alongside my Republican colleagues, have been able to accomplish in pursuit of these ideals. We passed the Working Families Tax Cut Act to keep the Federal Government out of your bank accounts and out of your pocketbooks by doubling the standard deduction, expanding the child tax credit, and establishing a new deduction for seniors because we believe that you, not the government, should keep more of your hard-earned money. We passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act to cut burdensome red tape so we can incentivize developers, lower costs, and put the American Dream of homeownership back within reach for millions of Americans. We most recently passed the Stop Insider Trading Act to increase transparency in Washington because public office should never be a pathway to personal profit. These pieces of legislation embody the very spirit of what it means to have a limited government. They reflect the belief that you know how to spend your money better than the government does, the potential for growth and innovation when Washington gets out of the way and, most importantly, the assertion that at the end of the day, we work for you. With much more work to be done, I couldn't be prouder of what we have achieved and what Americans will continue to achieve. Limited government isn't just a talking point. It has been proven to deliver prosperity and economic freedom for millions around the world, and it is firmly ingrained in the fabric of the American way of life. The United States is the greatest country in the world, not because of the power and scale of our government, but because we empower the people to live their lives by embracing freedom, ingenuity, and hard work here.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. As a Navy veteran, former helicopter pilot, Navy spouse, and Navy mom, I know our military is only as strong as the men and women who serve. This bill puts our warfighters first by supporting a pay raise of up to 7 percent and providing them with the training, equipment, and resources they need to fight, win, and return home safely. It strengthens American airpower, rebuilds our munitions stockpiles, advances unmanned and next-generation technologies, and invests in ships the Navy needs. It also supports American shipbuilders, ship repair professionals, aviators, and maintainers who keep our fleet at sea and our aircraft in the sky. I am proud that my provisions will accelerate the development of American-made unmanned surface vessels, bring greater transparency to TRICARE, fight to protect pharmacy choice, expand access to childcare, and improve military nursing staff shortages. This bill delivers peace through strength for our military, for our families, and for Virginia's Second Congressional District and Hampton Roads. Mr. Chair, I urge its passage.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

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.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the more than 2 million women across the country who have answered the call to serve our Nation in uniform. As a former Navy helicopter pilot, I had the honor and privilege of serving alongside remarkable and capable women whose professionalism and competence strengthened our Armed Forces and helped keep our country safe. Their service and the service of countless women that came before them deserves to be recognized. That is why I am proud to introduce legislation designating June 12 as Women Veterans Appreciation Day. This date commemorates the signing of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948, landmark legislation that granted women the right to serve as permanent members of our military. Today, women serve in every branch of our Armed Forces and continue to make invaluable contributions to our national security. This legislation honors their sacrifices, their achievements, and their enduring legacy of service. Mr. Speaker, I thank all the women veterans who have worn our Nation's uniform for their service, their leadership, and their commitment to our great Nation.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 7618, the American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act of 2026. I thank Chairman Westerman, Chairman Tiffany, and my bipartisan colleague, Congressman Seth Magaziner, for their support of this important legislation. America's battlefields are more than historic sites. They are outdoor classrooms, living memorials, and sacred grounds where generations of Americans fought and sacrificed for our great Nation. Yet, many of these irreplaceable landmarks remain threatened by development and the passage of time. H.R. 7618 reauthorizes the American Battlefield Protection Program through fiscal year 2036, streamlines and improves the flexibility of existing battlefield interpretation and restoration grants, and directs the National Park Service to evaluate significant sites associated with the French and Indian War and the Mexican-American War to help inform future preservation efforts. These changes will help ensure future generations can learn from and experience the places where our Nation's history was made. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, preserving these hallowed grounds is one of the most meaningful ways we can honor the Americans who came before us and pass their stories on to those who will follow. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty) as cosponsor of H.R. 8659.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

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: Israel At 78 The world's only Jewish state celebrates its 78th anniversary in the shadow of existential war with Iran and its proxies, fighting along its great American partner with shared values and interests. Professor David Passig's work is of particular value. He was born in Meknes, Morocco in 1957 and moved to Israel in 1968 with his parents and four siblings. Passig teaches at Israel's Bar-Ilan University in the Graduate School of Education, heading the Graduate Program in information and Communication Technologies (ICT), along with the Virtual Reality Laboratory. His doctorate in Future Studies is from the University of Minnesota. In his latest book, The Fifth Fiasco (How to Escape the Traps of Jewish History in the Twenty-First Century), he suggests alternative scenarios to past periods with the goal of avoiding repetitions of fateful and costly mistakes and consequently guaranteeing a secure Jewish future in a sovereign and democratic Israeli state. Passig's underlying supposition is quite chilling, ``Therefore, I want to note at the beginning that those among the readers who accept the Biblical account as a given fact, may find it difficult to understand the ``exercise'' of an alternative formulation contradicting the known facts. To those I want to emphasize that the entire purpose is to examine in a refreshed prose an alternative Biblical text that could have prevented the great catastrophe of the destruction of the two Temples. The occupation of providing alternative scenarios for that calamity is critical when fear for destruction returns to echo in the collective Jewish consciousness of the State of Israel in the 21st century.'' The concerned readers the author refers to are Orthodox Jews and the fact that he is an Orthodox Jew affiliated with the Orthodox Jewish Bar-Ilan University, well reflects on the academic open integrity of that institution as well as Passig's. The widespread Israeli phenomenon in recent years of Israelis holding also foreign passports might support the professor's assertion of, if not concrete fear, a certain Israeli unease concerning the future; not for the state's very survival, rather I believe, a lingering disaffection with the deepening divisions and gaps in Israeli society coupled with a frustrating impasse on Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation and explosive old-new tensions with Israeli Arabs. All that in face of a successful young start-up nation with an incredible record of progress, including the recent Abraham Accords. These contradictions highlight the complex Jewish condition with some million Israelis living abroad, mainly in North America, begging soul-searching inquiry. Israel's small size and more opportunities abroad are saliant factors along with the historical Jewish wandering gene. The author perceptively points out that the long Jewish tradition to ponder the past on a weekly basis with the discussed study of various interpretations of the Torah, maintained the bond with the people's past, but lacked the necessary alternative scenarios, and particularly arousing ones for the future's sake, and thus former mistakes were repeated with fatal consequences. Passig regards a certain sickness of self-destruction to be responsible for the misfortunes that befell the Jewish people throughout its history, though surely other weighty factors are at play such as Israel's geo-political strategic location which lures empires and superpowers as well as a nation's willingness to risk much for the sake of its ethos and ideals beyond the drive for mere survival, and even finding divine justification for its predicaments whether through punishment or reward. The Talmudic teaching (Pesachim 87b) that exile fulfills God's purpose which is beneficial for both Israel and the world at-large is a case in point. It can be argued also that in the nuclear age it is too dangerous to have all Jews concentrated in one place. The current model is of a sovereign Jewish state with a viable Diaspora, mainly American, along its historical antecedents, supports and nourishes each other for the entire Jewish people's sake and survival. Faithful to his conclusion for the need to present a shocking future scenario serving to wake up to the possibility that Israel's future as an independent Jewish state is not guaranteed, Passig describes a wild scenario-- one of the offered options by Future Studies scholars-- beginning with an Israeli civil war in the 40's of the 21st century, over unbridgeable disagreements between the political left and right on basic issues such as the Law of Return, the Jewish Nation State Law, the annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria and rioting between Jews and Arabs around the Western Wall and Temple Mount. The violent escalation of internal conflicts accompanied by a costly Israeli military incursion toward Syria's Damascus, ultimately resulting at the 22nd century's end in only 20 percent fearful Jews among some 30 million mostly hostile Arabs. Once a flourishing Israeli Jewish state faces the tragic fate of its previous two Jewish Commonwealths. While he praises the Reform rabbis for turning away from their anti-Zionist stance in 1937, he shares his disappointment with those ultra-Orthodox rabbis who remained opposed to the Jewish state with Rabbi Shach even blaming the Shoah (Holocaust) as divine punishment for accumulated Jewish sins. The traditional approach holding God in charge of human affairs, does not solve pressing dilemmas that require human responsibility which the Zionist movement's revolution exemplified. Passig is also critical of those rabbis who refused to follow protective measures during the Corona crisis in Israel and generally reject the authority of the sovereign Jewish state. He views American Jewish disunity for the failure to bomb the railroads leading to Auschwitz during World War II, The long exile promoted text replacing territory though territory was preserved in the text, while Islam favored territory first. The author advocates for Israel's urgent need to formulate a briefly declared covenantal mission statement to unify the Jewish majority along with its minorities around a common theme, while serving to highlight its uniqueness in the community of nations. Passig is concerned that Israel is not yet fully accepted as a separate nation. Whereas the United States' motto is ``Personal Freedom'' and the European Union's, ``Unity in Diversity,'' he suggests that Israel should be defined by, ``The Public's Freedom'' in a binding and intricate system of its individuals' interconnectedness. However, Passig may be overstating the impact of a shortly stated national goal as the most critical force behind a nation's success or collapse in history's long-run. Finding a common theme for Jews and Arabs in Israel, indeed a desired aspiration, faces enormous challenge given the complex Jewish-Arab equation. Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman is founder of Temple Lev Tikvah in Virginia Beach. He is a member of the Holocaust's surviving remnant of European Jewry.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 127, YEA on Roll Call No. 128, and YEA on Roll Call No. 129.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

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: Like lssac In the Wetzlar D.P. Camp, American zone, Germany, 1948, At age two and a half, I was placed on Issac's Altar to be sacrificed a bit At a brit albeit late of the War circumstances, By a family of Polish survivors Who finally felt that their vulnerable Child, a reminder of God's mercy, Was safe to be marked as a Jew In the land begrudging our Covenantal bond, Though No one asked for my consent Just like brother Issac in pagan Canaan who too was not consulted, Yet we both survived. 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 a member of the Holocaust's surviving remnant of European Jewry.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating several remarkable Girl Scouts from Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast for demonstrating extraordinary leadership, refreshing creativity, and a commitment to making a lasting impact by earning the most prestigious award in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award. Gold Award Girl Scouts are trailblazers who address the most pressing issues facing their communities and the world with measurable, sustainable, and far-reaching results. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, high school-age Girl Scouts identify and investigate an issue they care about, devise a plan, and then lead a team of experts and community members to implement a project that produces lasting change. Over the course of 1 to 2 years, Gold Award Girl Scouts demonstrate significant initiative, commitment, and leadership, distinguishing them from their peers. Through their resourcefulness and perseverance, they embody the Girl Scout Law to truly make the world a better place. I congratulate and include in the Record following outstanding young women: Lydia Winstead, Troop 1579 Noor Swanson, Troop 495 Marley Fenley, Troop 76 Sarah Williams, Troop 322 Nomi Reins, Troop 679 Lana Janas, Troop 25 On behalf of the 2nd Congressional District of Virginia, I congratulate them on their achievement of the highest distinction in Girl Scouts, the Gold Award. We thank them all for their leadership and for making such a positive, lasting change in our community.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside my colleagues in the Virginia congressional delegation with a heavy heart to honor the life and legacy of Barry Knight, a longtime member of the Virginia House of Delegates, who tragically passed away last week after a courageous battle with cancer. As a native Virginian, devoted public servant, and proud champion for the people of the Commonwealth, Barry was a giant. With humble beginnings as a hog farmer in Pungo, Barry Knight rose to be, in the words of former Governor George Allen: ``a hall of fame member of Virginia's government.'' Barry understood that public service wasn't about partisanship but about the people who he represented. While he stood firm in his convictions, he embodied something too rare in public life today: a genuine willingness to work across the aisle. Whether he was leading efforts to widen I-64 or to remove abandoned vessels in our waterways, Barry led with respect and good faith for his colleagues and his constituents. I will miss his counsel and his friendship, but most of all his deep love for our Virginia Beach community. During this difficult time, our prayers are with his wife, Paula, and their three sons, who are mourning this tremendous loss. Mr. Speaker, I now ask that the House pause for a moment of silence in honor of Barry Knight.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on my bill designating the United States Postal Service facility located at 1225 Kempsville Road in Virginia Beach as the Colonel Edward Shames Post Office Building. Colonel Shames was a proud Virginian and a member of Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division, notably featured in the hit HBO documentary ``Band of Brothers.'' He parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, fought through Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge, and led under fire in some of the most consequential battles of World War II. For his courage and sacrifice, he was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. After the war, Colonel Shames continued serving our Nation, eventually retiring as a colonel, and later made Virginia Beach his home, where he became a dedicated community member and a tireless advocate for veterans. As the last surviving officer of Easy Company, Colonel Shames represented the very best of the Greatest Generation. Naming this post office in his honor ensures his legacy of service, leadership, and patriotism will endure for generations to come. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following remarks submitted at the request of a Virginia Beach constituent, Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman of Temple Lev Tikvah, which reflect his views: Dr. Marc Saperstein, distinguished author, rabbi, scholar and professor, taught at Harvard University (where he earned his doctorate), Washington University, George Washington University, and was principal of Leo Baeck College in London, England. Marc's late father, Rabbi Harold Saperstein, served Temple Emanu-El of Lynbrook, New York, from 1933 to 1980. He responded to Nazism early on in 1934 with his sermon, ``Call to Battle.'' Marc's brother Rabbi David Saperstein was the illustrious Director of Reform Judaism's Religious Action Center, as well as the American Ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom. Dr. Saperstein's exhaustive and impressive tome (Agony in the Pulpit: Jewish Preaching in Response to Nazi Persecution and Mass Murder from 1933 to 1945) appealed to my searching and critical eye as a family member of the Holocaust's surviving remnant of European Jewry. Saperstein states, ``My book is a rebuttal to the accusation that American Jews in general, and their rabbinic leaders, in particular, remained silent; that they failed to speak out on behalf of the suffering Jews of Europe and were unresponsive to their pleas. It is also a rebuttal to the further accusation that if they had only spoken out, `the slaughterer would not have succeeded in his task' ''. Indeed, it does offer a measure of consolation that American rabbis representing American Jewry as spiritual leaders did not keep silent, raising their agonizing voices when their European brethren were being slaughtered on mass in ``civilized'' Christian Europe. Not to have spoken would have constituted not only a sin of omission but also one of commission. However, what remains disturbing and perhaps sinful if not unpardonable, is that the well-intentioned pulpit messages of swelling pain could not stop the vast tragedy from unfolding into the destruction of no less than two thirds of European Jewry and one third of world Jewry. America, however, was silent to our bitter cry for help, which was denied and delayed, rendering it mere words blowing in the wind as if unspoken. We, who have elevated language to divine heights, discovered that Hitler's hateful rhetoric proved more persuasive. The voluminous pulpit sermons serve to glaringly highlight the inability to translate them into concrete action to save fellow Jews, so many, and they relied on us. The failure of rabbinic preaching in the absence of a corresponding successful political campaign to arouse American leaders and particularly FDR toward redemptive action as our people went up in smoke, cannot be eradicated from our collective consciousness and guilty conscience, nor from American colossal failure to stand by basic morality when assailed by barbaric forces aimed at subverting and uprooting the Judeo-Christian heritage of shared humane values that Nazism declared, with good reason, adversarial to Hitler's new ``Chosen People'' and ``Aryan Commandments.'' Rabbi Stephen S. Wise's lobbying efforts before FDR, his trusted ``friend'', and some organized mass rallies and appeals proved futile even as the Allies were aware of the ``Final Solution'' being actualized. While American anti- Semitism, anti-immigration/refugees and isolationism reigned and presented FDR with tough challenges, he failed to assert Presidential moral leadership allowing us to undergo a crippling genocide, threatening the future Jewish potential and even survivability. No less than a million and a half Jewish children perished in the Shoah. The SS St. Louis with its human cargo of mostly 937 Jewish passengers, including children, sailing from Hamburg, Germany, was turned away and back from these shores in May 1939 with disastrous consequences. The State Department rejected an opportunity to save 1,000 children, arguing that they would become Jewish adults. Bombing the railroads leading to Auschwitz was deemed by FDR a diversion from fighting Nazi Germany even while the Allies, including American planes, were bombing chemical installations nearby. Davis S. Wyman's monumental classic, ``The Abandonment of the Jews,'' (what an apt and shaking title) is a must-read. The New York Times, under Jewish ownership, buried Holocaust events in its back pages. There is a sense of a high conspiracy early on if not to deny the Holocaust, to diminish it. Saperstein's book corresponds with the world-wide dangerous resurgence of anti-Semitism's alarming specter. It has opened a much-appreciated window to revisiting the costly shortcomings of response, Jewish verbal and American political, in our darkest times, along with hopefully, though not guaranteed, learning from them. The late incomparable Elie Wiesel wrote of his profound disappointment, along with other survivors, that the world failed to learn from the Holocaust given the genocides that followed. The organized American Jewish community is far more effective than it was before WWII, though there are even now limits to its power and influence, always begrudged and enlarged by our detractors. Dare we remember that in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, white supremacists marched Nazi-like without bothering to cover their heads with hoods, shouting, ``Jews will not replace us.'' Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue was the scene in 2018 of the worst crime against Jews committed on American soil with 11 Jewish worshipers murdered on Shabbat. The Gaza War following the October 7, 2023, ghastly Hamas attack triggered antisemitism on American campuses. The massacre at Bondi Beach, Australia, during the Festival of Chanukah, painfully attests that no place anywhere is safe. The dreadful ``Auschwitz'' does not shockingly resonate to an American public's large segment only seventy some years following such grave historical events, despite multiple Holocaust Museums. Holocaust education and world history are essential tools in the never-ending struggle against forgetfulness, ignorance, and prejudice with new genocides rising, each unique and the same. Democracy, any democracy, is but a fragile institution as we witnessed, and its essential safeguards are demanding. The State of Israel, the world's only sovereign Jewish country, built on the Holocaust's ashes, has become a target for those attacking us when powerless and now resenting a measure of Jewish defensive power that we were so tragically lacking when abandoned by the world. Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman is founder and spiritual leader of Temple Lev Tikvah as well as Honorary Senior Rabbi Scholar at Eastern Shore Chapel Episcopal Church, both in Virginia Beach. His Polish family lost hundreds of members during the Holocaust. He spent his early childhood among Jewish refugees in Kazakhstan, where he was born in 1945, Poland, Austria and Germany before moving to Israel in 1949.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

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: I found refuge every morning hiding Under my grandpa's inviting, embracing Tallit Of black and white woven of the tapestry Of a survivor's spared life, A wondrous cloth, never abandoned nor lost, He managed to safeguard on the run Twice from Poland, in Siberian exile and Kazakhstan, Stained by flowing tears, The beauty marks of refugees, An added layer of essential warmth Which sustained a ravaged body and tested soul, Wrapping me, his other saved possession, In a magical garb whose sacred fringes I playfully unraveled, Ever since attempting together tie what Torn away is forever gone. The youngest member at the Shoah (Holocaust) survivors' Minyan (quorum) in Germany's Wetzlar Displaced Persons Camp, I hear louder and louder in the dark With elapsed some eighty years, The adults' heartfelt davening (praying) with painful groaning Of weighing memories while searching for the light, Gratefully feeling still the loving hands faithfully Placed on my curly head by proud Grandpa Zvi, Son of martyred Rabbi Yaacov and Dena of Zamosc, With radiant grandma Rachel smilingly approving, Reassuring their first grandchild, A refugee like Father Abraham and Mother Sara, Whose birth was surely a divine sign of a threatened Covenant renewed, to protect me always with a Tallit Of reaffirmed life even if God's blessing would not. Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman is the founder and spiritual leader of Temple Lev Tikvah as well as Honorary Senior Rabbi Scholar at Eastern Shore Chapel, both in Virginia Beach.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my bill, the Care for Military Kids Act, that was included in the appropriations package for 2026 that just passed the House. As a proud Representative of Virginia's Second Congressional District, home to one of the largest Active-Duty military populations in the United States, advocating for those who serve our country and their families is one of my top priorities. Unlike civilian families, military families often need to move every 2 to 3 years, not by choice but by obligation. When relocated to another State, servicemembers uproot their whole lives to answer the call to serve and their families often sacrifice a great deal. For servicemembers who have dependents with disabilities, the sacrifice can greatly impact their livelihood. Unfortunately, with every move, dependent children must re-enter entirely new State health systems with new Medicaid rules, new waiver programs, new provider networks, and long wait lists. The Care for Military Kids Act would ensure that any dependent of an Active-Duty servicemember - currently receiving long-term care services through a State administered Medicaid plan, will remain eligible should their family be stationed outside the State, ensuring our servicemembers do not have to choose between serving their country and getting their children the critical care they need. Mr. Speaker, I was grateful that this important piece of legislation was included in the appropriations package for 2026.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the National Certified Dietary Manager (CDM), Certified Food Protection Professionals (CFPP) Day, which this year fell on Friday, November 28, 2025. This day is meant to honor the contributions these professionals have made in the foodservice management profession and their vital role in America's healthcare industry and particularly long-term care. Foodborne illness is a health threat to all Americans, but seniors are most at risk as they are more susceptible to the adverse health effects from foodborne-induced gastroenteritis. The CDM, CFPP credential raises the standard of care in Skilled Nursing Facilities and establishes a more clearly defined career path for those who choose to serve in long-term care. As a geriatric nurse practitioner, I have seen firsthand how dedicated professionals with the CDM, CFPP credential positively affect health outcomes. They are responsible for managing nutrition and foodservice operations, and are trained and qualified to administer menus, food purchasing and preparation, and to apply nutrition principles, among many other essential tasks. I would also like to recognize the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals (ANFP) for its efforts to designate November 28 as National CDM, CFPP Day. Over 90 percent of ANFP's 13,000 members work in healthcare and most of those are in long-term care. ANFP's Youth Apprenticeship Program is based in the CDM, CFPP credential and was approved by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2022. The CDM, CFPP credential is a source of pride for those who achieve and maintain it. CDM, CFPP credential holders are committed to ensuring our vulnerable seniors receive the care and attention they deserve, often working year-round and over holidays. I am proud to honor their significant impacts to healthcare and celebrate the National Certified Dietary Managers, Certified Food Protection Professionals Day of the Year.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, this NDAA delivers the investments and reforms our servicemembers deserve, improving readiness, modernizing our forces, and strengthening the foundation of America's national defense. The bill revitalizes our defense industrial base, strengthens American shipbuilding, and supports the workforce that keeps our Navy and joint force mission-ready. These investments deliver for our Nation, and they deliver for Hampton Roads, home to the sailors, shipbuilders, and military families who sustain our national security every single day. It invests directly in the men and women who wear the uniform by improving pay, strengthening housing, expanding childcare, and ensuring access to timely, high-quality healthcare. It also makes targeted improvements to training capabilities and modernization so our force remains the world's premier fighting force. The fiscal year `26 NDAA builds a stronger military, a more resilient industrial base, and a more secure nation. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Republican Conference, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

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: The Jewish High Holy Days 5786 The Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, an ancient people's peak spiritual drama of courageous contemplation and heartfelt contrition, are captured in the life and work of Rabbi Irving Greenberg, acclaimed modern Orthodox rabbi and author. His latest book, The Triumph of Life (A Narrative Theology of Judaism), is Greenberg's own triumphant accomplishment offering Jews and non-Jews alike an encompassing scholarly yet accessible work of theological art, bound to rank high as a pioneering beacon of light, learning and enlightenment in our postmodern new age with revolutionary promise as well as colossal dark threats to human life, the painstakingly garnered civilization and the very survival of all life on our planet Earth. Greenberg attributes the impetus to writing this inspirational guide-- which aims to reassure readers from all persuasions that covenantal life of the spirit is worth laboring and fighting for--to his shaking 1961 experience in Israel while attending Tel Aviv University as a Fulbright scholar and encountering the enormity of the Holocaust for the first time. Referring to the famous Adolf Eichmann trial of the notorious SS officer in Jerusalem, with profound impact on an entire mesmerized nation. I vividly recall as a teenager living then in Israel and myself son of Polish Holocaust survivors, the shock of the horrific events described by shaken witnesses. The author offers us a touching confessional of a crisis of faith of an Orthodox raised Jew, challenging his basic assumptions about God, covenant and life's meaning. ``My loving wife (Blu is a distinguished feminist Orthodox Jew and author) and family saved me from nihilism and despair by showing me the incredible tenacity and unspent power of embracing life. The emergent State of Israel suggested to me that the Divine was still operating in the world, and testified to the human capacity to take power for reestablishing life and reasserting its value.'' Referring to his book with its far-reaching conclusions of ushering in the hoped for messianic era which Greenberg testifies is within human reach in our postmodern era with its new opportunity for creative human unity within enriching diversity, upholding universal human dignity and equality via restoring God's violated image, ``I hope it will appeal to non-Jewish readers as well, especially to Christians, partners in the struggle to overcome millennia of hostility and delegitimization. People of all religions must work together to repair the world politically, economically, and culturally, and turn the Earth into the paradise all humans deserve.'' The admirable Orthodox rabbi who found his way back to faith and his own particular belief structure following a most challenging crisis impacted by the shattering Holocaust, was enabled to reach beyond the confines of his own faith's traditions and give credit where it's due. His own Jewish people historically have not lacked fracturing divisions among opposing ideologies not allowing for urgently required unity at times of grave danger, such as during the Holocaust. The prosecution of the Gaza War following Hamas's barbarism both united and divided Israelis with a backlash of antisemitism in the United States and Europe. It is evident that events in Israel affect the Jewish Diaspora, even as the author emphasizes the debt of the latter to the Israeli partner. It is clear though that influential American Jewry is the glue to the essential relationship between Israel and the United States. Greenberg hails Israel's 1948 creation as reassuring that God's covenant with the Jewish people yet continues in spite of the Holocaust's heavy toll. The world's only Jewish state's robust democracy with multiple accomplishments benefiting humanity has served as a source of pride and unity to world Jewry even though challenges to Israel's existence and character persist from within and without. May life's universal blessing yet triumph!

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

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: October 7 Revisited. Prophet Habakkak's haunting Biblical. Words come true on a sacred turned scarred Day robbed of its joys, ``For a stone shall cry out From the wall.'' Once loving homes where the Divine forged an abode turned Into blackened stones soaked from Hatred--filled wells of blood and fire, With walls of witness wailing in silence Of strewn bodies, young and old bonded. In death as in life, for the land of ubiquitous. Memorials again and again and again, Till when? Of snuffed dreams in a hunting field. Where dancing-- davening flowers held. Sway till halted singing from deep within. Surging souls yearning to bond across. Man--made borders--barriers to be. Breached for war or peace, To yet prevail with heightened cadence. Of Shalom's invisible, ever--surviving promise!

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Family Caregivers Month and to honor the more than 63 million Americans who selflessly care for their loved ones. That includes more than 1.5 million Virginians who step up every single day for their parents, spouses, and family members. As a Navy veteran, a nurse practitioner, and someone who has seen firsthand the challenges families face, I know just how essential these caregivers are to our long-term care system. Far too often caregivers shoulder enormous emotional, physical, and financial burdens without adequate help. That is why Congress must work together to advance commonsense, bipartisan solutions, like the Credit for Caring Act, increased respite care funding, and expand workplace flexibility. These are practical steps that will give caregivers the support they desperately need. When caregivers thrive, families thrive. This month, and every month, let's honor their sacrifice. Mr. Speaker, I thank all the caregivers out there. They are appreciated.