Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to Leonard and Adele Blumberg of Bridgewater, New Jersey. For over seven decades, Leonard and Adele Blumberg have worked hard day and night to make a difference in their community and help others.

In fact, there are dozens of New Jersey civic, social welfare, educational, artistic and religious organizations that have benefited from their hard work, dedication and selfless sacrifices to help those in need.

On Sunday, March 15, 2009 Temple Sholom in Bridgewater, New Jersey will honor Leonard and Adele during a special tribute ceremony for their remarkable and enduring lifelong contribution to communities throughout Central New Jersey.

Over the years, the Bloomberg's have helped the Bridgewater Township Welfare Board, Somerset County United Way, People-Care Center, Somerset County Homemaker Service, American Red Cross, Somerset Valley Visiting Nurse Association, Somerset County Heart Association, Somerville Rotary Club, Education Foundation of Bridgewater, Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties, The Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center and Temple Sholom.

Because of their exceptional community outreach efforts, Temple Sholom established the Leonard and Adele Blumberg Community Outreach Fund. The fund will be used to augment the Temple's existing and future community outreach programs to aid the needy in Somerset County.

It gives me great pleasure to share the remarkable efforts of Leonard and Adele Blumberg with my colleagues in the United States Congress and with the American people. I am also honored to join Temple Sholom at this special event recognizing their outstanding service to our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay a special tribute to the Delaware and Raritan Canal upon its 175th Anniversary Celebration. This year New Jersey towns and community groups along the canal will celebrate the rich contributions of the Delaware and Raritan Canal, and I wholeheartedly join them.

The Delaware and Raritan Canal, which spans more than 66 miles across the State of New Jersey, has an important place in New Jersey history, and provides scenic and recreational facilities that New Jersey families enjoy today.

In our state's early history, the Delaware and Raritan Canal provided a significant route for the movement of commerce and people. As part of the Intracoastal Waterway, the canal also played an important role of connecting towns and people from Florida to New England.

All along the route, canal boats delivered Pennsylvania anthracite coal to factories, homes, and coal yards in New Jersey, New York harbor, and points north and south. They brought farm products to market; carried store-

bought goods to residents in the interior; delivered raw materials to the factories; and distributed finished products to outlets throughout the region. Businesses along the canal included food packing companies, rubber reclaiming plants, distilleries, coal yards, quarries, lumberyards, pharmaceuticals, terra cotta, wallpaper manufacturers, farms and many more.

According to canal historians, 1866 was the canal's peak year, when almost three million tons of cargo were shipped through the waterway-- more tonnage than was carried in any single year on the much longer and more famous Erie Canal.

During three wars, the Civil War, World War I and World War II, the Delaware and Raritan Canal carried men and materials between the ports of New York and Philadelphia.

In 1973, several coalitions in New Jersey sought and secured a place on the National Register of Historic Places for the Delaware and Raritan Canal. One year later, the canal became the centerpiece of the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. Since then, the Canal Society of New Jersey and the D&R Canal Watch have worked tirelessly to preserve and protect the canal's rich history for generations to come.

Today the Delaware and Raritan Canal serves New Jerseyans as a tranquil ribbon of green, connecting our historic past with recreational opportunities that are enjoyed by so many.