81R35237 BPG-D
By: Edwards H.R. No. 2616
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Rabbi Samuel E. Karff of Houston has enriched the
lives of many through his scholarship, his compassion, and his
commitment to the spiritual dimension of healing; and
WHEREAS, A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University,
Rabbi Karff was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute
of Religion, where he earned a doctor of Hebrew letters degree in
rabbinic theology in 1956; he served as an Air Force chaplain and
led congregations in a number of cities across the country before
becoming senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Houston in
1975; for more than two decades, his radio show has drawn listeners
of all faiths; and
WHEREAS, Rabbi Karff has served as the editor of The Journal
of Reform Judaism and is the author of such books as The Soul of the
Rav, Agada: The Language of Jewish Faith, and Permission to
Believe: Finding Faith in Troubled Times, which was published by
the Abingdon Press in 2005; moreover, he wrote the chapters on
Judaism for Religions of the World, a textbook used by some 200
colleges, and has taught at Notre Dame University and the
University of Chicago Divinity School; he was a lecturer in the
Department of Religious Studies at Rice University from 1977 to
2001; and
WHEREAS, Drawing from his own experiences as a hospital
patient, Rabbi Karff developed the Sacred Vocation Program to
create enduring, beneficial changes in health care by helping
caregivers understand the emotional and spiritual aspects of
healing and find greater purpose in their work; the pilot project at
St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital became the Sacred Vocation
Partnership, a collaboration between St. Luke's and The University
of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; the program has since
been instituted at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and
two clinics in Houston, and is currently scheduled to be
implemented in three additional health care facilities; and
WHEREAS, Rabbi Karff accepted emeritus status at
Congregation Beth Israel in 1999; he became founder and director of
the Health and Human Spirit Program at the Health Science Center,
which in 2004 was expanded into the newly formed McGovern Center,
and Rabbi Karff currently serves as its associate director and as a
visiting professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the
Health Science Center; he is also on the board of the Texas Medical
Center Houston and lectures extensively in this country and abroad;
and
WHEREAS, A former president of the Central Conference of
American Rabbis, Rabbi Karff serves on the boards of the Institute
of Religion, the Coalition for Mutual Respect, and the
Anti-Defamation League, and is a former member of the executive
committee and the board of trustees of the United Way of the Texas
Gulf Coast; and
WHEREAS, This eminent scholar and religious leader has been a
source of profound inspiration through his dedication to nourishing
the human spirit and to illuminating the connection between
physical, emotional, and spiritual healing; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby honor Rabbi Samuel E. Karff for his remarkable
contributions and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued
success in his endeavors; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Rabbi Karff as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.