[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 150 (Tuesday, December 20, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: December 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      HIAS AWARDS DINNER HONOREES

                                 ______


                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 20, 1994

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, this past fall the Hebrew Immigrant Aid 
Society [HIAS] held its annual awards dinner in New York City, and 
conferred celebratory awards to individuals who have contributed to 
humanitarian efforts. One of those honored was our distinguished 
ranking Republican Member of the House Judiciary Committee, 
Representative Hamilton Fish, Jr., who was awarded HIAS' Liberty Award.
  The Liberty Award recognizes an individual who has helped further 
world peace and freedom. Congressman Fish, during his decades of 
service to his constituents, New York State, and the Nation, on the 
House Judiciary Committee, has made important and lasting contributions 
to the lives of immigrants and refugees. He is richly deserving of this 
award, and I wish to congratulate him on behalf of our colleagues in 
the House of Representatives.
  Also recognized at the awards dinner were the recipients of HIAS' 
Harold Friedman Memorial Award. Benjamin and Vladka Meed of the 
American Gathering/Federation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors received 
this newly established honor, which recognizes former refugees who have 
achieved noteworthy success in the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Meed 
have devoted their lives to the memory of the Holocaust and the welfare 
of its survivors, and are leaders in Holocaust education efforts.
  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I would like to share the acceptance 
speeches of Congressman Fish and Benjamin Meed with my colleagues. 
Their responses illuminate lifetimes of service for the benefit of 
others, as well as a dedication to one of the highest principles of 
Jewish tradition, that of tikkun olam, repairing the world. 
Accordingly, I request that their statements be printed at this point 
in the Congressional Record for the benefit of our Members and other 
interested individuals.

   Remarks by the Honorable Hamilton Fish, Jr., HIAS Awards Dinner, 
                            October 13, 1994

       I am honored to receive this award and humbled by the 
     company of former recipients I am joining. Emanuel Celler and 
     Peter Rodino, past chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, 
     mentored me in immigration and refugee affairs. Father Ted 
     Hesburgh led the efforts of the Select Commission on 
     Immigration and Refugee Policy in articulating our national 
     commitment to a generous immigration policy and a humane 
     response to refugee crises.
       HIAS' vigilance and guidance over the years energized and 
     sustained those of us in the Congress who believe in the 
     ennobling work of helping persecuted people. Under the 
     leadership of Martin Kesselhaut and Marty Wenick, HIAS is a 
     positive and constructive voice in the heated national debate 
     over immigration policy. Ed Shapiro, a former HIAS president 
     and personal friend, continues to inspire me with his 
     involvement in HIAS's work of rescue and resettlement.
       The Liberty Award has special meaning of me because I have 
     admired--for many years--the devotion of the HIAS leadership 
     and staff to compassionate values. The satisfaction I have 
     derived, however, from participating in endeavors on behalf 
     of refugees has been its own record. Over the years, 
     opportunities to visit refuseniks in Moscow, spend time in 
     Rome and Vienna with Jews in transit, and learn in Israel in 
     the the United States about the meaning of freedom directly 
     from former victims of religious hatred is a source of 
     continuing personal satisfaction.
       The current refugee program for Jews from the former Soviet 
     Union--as you all know so well--represents a culmination of 
     our long struggle to lower emigration barriers. Opportunities 
     for Jews in that region to find havens in Israel and in the 
     United States must continue to be facilitated and sustained. 
     Any discussion of winding down U.S. admissions is premature 
     because anti-Semitism remains a potent force. The Immigration 
     and Naturalization Service refugee interviewing capacity in 
     the former Soviet Union cannot be compromised if the 
     essential humanitarian work of identifying individuals and 
     families qualified for U.S. resettlement is to be maintained. 
     Pressures to cut admission numbers must be resisted as long 
     as significant backlogs remain.
       This period of transition for me is an opportunity to 
     reflect on the most significant migration-related legislation 
     that has become law during my congressional service. Since 
     1980, in contrast to earlier periods, we have had a strong 
     and flexible refugee law that can facilitate the expeditious 
     admission of persons escaping persecution. We successfully 
     resisted attempts, in the early 80s, to lump refugees and 
     immigrants together under the same ceiling--a step that would 
     have placed the need to save lives in competition with 
     legitimate desires to bring relatives to this country. In 
     enacting the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, we 
     sought to effectuate the interrelated goals of discouraging 
     future illegal immigration and responding humanely to the 
     plight of those undocumented aliens who already had become a 
     part of our society. At the beginning of the new decade--with 
     the passage of the Immigration Act of 1990--we gave enhanced 
     expression to the principle of family reunification and 
     provided expanded opportunities for persons without family 
     ties to contribute to our country's economic life.
       In my view, the major principles that find expression in 
     American immigration and refugee law remain sound. The 
     biggest challenge we face is sentiment that fails to 
     distinguish between people who act in contravention of our 
     laws without persecution claims and legal immigrants, 
     asylees, and refugees who all must receive a welcome 
     consistent with our traditions. HIAS has a critical role to 
     play in preventing the erosion of support for our refugee and 
     legal immigration policies.
       The United States' willingness to welcome refugees and 
     immigrants to our shores is one of the great sources of our 
     nation's strength. The humanitarian work of providing refuge 
     is satisfying not only because the United States--a leader in 
     refugee resettlement--is helping people who need our 
     assistance but also because that same effort adds to our 
     country's vitality. When we display generosity toward persons 
     escaping persecution, we not only express our compassion as a 
     nation, but also advance the foreign policy interests of the 
     United States, set an example for other countries, and 
     reaffirm our commitment to individual freedom. Continued 
     American receptivity to refugees must go hand in hand with an 
     immigration policy that promotes the goal of family unity and 
     gives expression to the values of a pluralistic society.
       In the decade of the 90s, I have every confidence the 
     United States will continue to benefit greatly from the 
     contributions of those we welcome as refugees and immigrants. 
     I look forward to remaining active on these issues of mutual 
     concern in the years ahead.
       Thank you.

   Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society [HIAS] First Annual Harold Friedman 
                             Memorial Award

 (Acceptance Speech by Benjamin Meed, Co-recipient (With Vladka Meed))

       Ladies and Gentlemen: Vladka and I are deeply moved to be 
     honored as the first recipients of the Harold Friendman 
     Memorial Award. We also very much appreciate the kind words 
     spoken about us here tonight. However, we feel that this 
     award, although given to us, is really intended to honor the 
     achievements of all of the Holocaust survivors who--with the 
     help of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society--came to rebuild 
     their lives in this and other countries.
       It is a long way, in time, in distance and in feelings--
     from the German Nazi concentration camps, partisan forests, 
     witnessing the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto and, after 
     the war, the displaced person camps--to be here this evening 
     to be honored by the HIAS. What survivor would have dared 
     even to dream, 50 years ago, of such an evening as we are 
     experiencing tonight?
       I remember very clearly the day, almost half a century ago, 
     when a gentleman, wearing the uniform of the UNRRA, climbed 
     up the four flights of steps to the small apartment Vladka 
     and I shared with others in Munich, Germany. That man came to 
     give us the affidavit and other papers necessary to travel to 
     the goldene medina, the USA. His name was Mr. Ilja Dijour. At 
     the time, he was the HIAS director of operations in Germany 
     and Austria.
       He spoke to us in Yiddish and made us feel that a family 
     member had found us. We will never forget his kind words as 
     he explained what our trip and our new country, America, 
     would be like. He told us there would be many people there 
     who spoke Yiddish, and that we would even be able to read a 
     daily Yiddish newspaper and listen to the radio in our own 
     language. He said, ``In America you will feel at home.''
       We will never forget his thoughtful expressions of hope for 
     our new life. I remember that when I asked him, why did you 
     come to us, he showed us a telegram he had received from the 
     Jewish Labor Committee in New York. The telegram said, ``Your 
     friends are waiting for you.''
       Today, I know how right he was. I still have Mr. Dijour's 
     image in my mind. And whatever words I use tonight will not 
     do justice to him and his actions in helping thousands upon 
     thousands of people to come to the United States.
       Two weeks later we were in Bremerhaven, along with a few 
     hundred other Holocaust survivors, boarding the Marine Perch, 
     one of the first ships to leave for the United States. Eight 
     days later, on May 24, 1946, we arrived in New York. And as 
     we left the ship, HIAS distributed to each one of us our 
     first $10 in U.S. currency. Excited but anxious, not knowing 
     what to expect, we arrived in our first home in the U.S.: The 
     HIAS building at 425 Lafayette Street. From there we started 
     our new life in this country. Vladka and I are two among the 
     hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have come here 
     because of the tireless efforts of HIAS. For both of us, I 
     thank you again for all the help we were given.
       I also want to say something more about the Holocaust 
     survivors who, many with the assistance of HIAS, came to and 
     settled in this country. For many years, the images which 
     came to mind when the word ``survivor'' was uttered were 
     those terrible pictures of concentration camp inmates taken 
     from the German archives. They are such pitiful images. But 
     today, we survivors--who came from the pit of Hell itself--
     have shown the world a very different picture of our lives in 
     these 50 years after the Holocast.
       Most of us came here with very little, or nothing at all. 
     We knew nothing of this country's language or culture. Yet we 
     did not despair. Nor did we become embittered or controlled 
     by hatred, as would have been easy based on our experiences. 
     We worked hard--day and night--doing whatever was necessary 
     to take advantage of the great opportunity this nation 
     provided to start anew.
       We know that America is a country built by immigrants, but 
     Holocaust survivors are immigrants whose relatives were 
     murdered, and the villages, towns and countries of our birth 
     have become cemeteries. Jewish life and culture are gone from 
     so many places. We had nothing to look back on, so we had to 
     look forward. Here, in our adopted country, we gradually 
     established new homes, rebuilt our families, provided our 
     children with the best education, and contributed--in every 
     way we could--to our communities and to the life of this 
     great nation.
       And the Holocaust not only robbed us of our homes and 
     families; it also destroyed our chances for education. Yet 
     education is so highly prized by us all, and I am proud to 
     say that today the vast majority of our children--estimated 
     to number close to 250,000--have academic degrees. These 
     wonderful children are represented in every field of 
     endeavor, and thirty percent of them are doctors, lawyers, 
     and teachers.
       In addition to our contributions to country and community--
     in the professions, business, the arts, and home life--
     survivors and their families have also become pillars of the 
     Jewish community, holding leadership positions, supporting 
     significant activities, and infusing Jewish life with their 
     special energy.
       It should also be said that if not for the motivation and 
     support of survivors, there probably would be no Holocaust 
     remembrance commemorations in the nation's capitol and around 
     the country. And there would be far fewer, if any, Holocaust-
     related museums, memorials and resource centers. We are 
     pleased that Holocaust survivors have taken on the mission of 
     remembrance, and have been integral in helping to build the 
     U.S. Holocasust Museum in Washington.
       We are so proud of all that our fellow survivors have 
     achieved, against overwhelming odds, in the past fifty years. 
     Yes, we still have a long way to go. There are many things we 
     still need to accomplish, both for ourselves and for history. 
     Our principal enemy is time, but--somehow--our goals must be 
     reached.
       Again, we thank HIAS for its wonderful work through all of 
     these years. we have learned through our terrible experiences 
     that the greatest danger was, and will continue to be, 
     indifference. HIAS has never stood idle. Instead, it has 
     played a major role in helping our people wherever they are 
     in need. HIAS has always understood that we must be our 
     brothers'--and sisters'--keepers. HIAS embodies the best of 
     the Jewish spirit.
       Thank you for being with us tonight.

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