Pelosi Pays Tribute to Rita Semel on House Floor: “One of the Great Moral Forces of Our Community”
Washington, D.C. – Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the House Floor honoring the life and legacy of San Francisco civic and interfaith leader Rita Semel, who passed away at the age of 104.
In her remarks, Pelosi praised Semel’s decades of leadership bringing together people of different faiths and backgrounds in pursuit of peace, dignity and mutual understanding, calling her “one of the great moral forces of our community.”
Watch Pelosi’s Floor remarks here.
Read Speaker Emerita Pelosi's statement on the passing of Rita Semel below:
"The passing of Rita Semel is a profound loss for San Francisco and for all who believe in the power of dialogue, understanding and justice. For decades, Rita was one of the great moral voices of our community: bringing together people of different faiths, backgrounds and perspectives in pursuit of peace, dignity and respect for all God’s children.
"Through her extraordinary leadership with the San Francisco Interfaith Council and across countless civic and charitable causes, Rita helped make our city more compassionate, more united and more hopeful. She believed deeply that our diversity was a source of strength, and she dedicated her life to building bridges at moments when division would have been easier. I was privileged to know Rita and call her a dear friend for more than fifty years. Her wisdom, warmth and relentless commitment to justice touched generations of leaders and families throughout the Bay Area and beyond. She carried herself with grace and conviction, always guided by faith and by an unwavering belief in our shared humanity.
"Paul and I and our entire family, especially our daughter Christine, are grateful to Rita’s daughter Elizabeth for enabling her mother to be a force in our community for over 100 years. We join so many in mourning Rita’s passing and celebrating her remarkable life and legacy.
"May it be a comfort to Rita’s family, her loved ones and the communities she served so faithfully that so many are praying for them at this sad time. And may her memory continue to be a blessing and an inspiration to us all.”