[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 1, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      TRIBUTE TO MORTON A. SCHRAG

                                 ______


                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 1, 1995
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Morton A. Schrag on the occasion of his retirement as 
director of the Westside Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles.
  As a long-time member of the Westside Center, and as the 
congressional representative of a substantial number of its members, 
beneficiaries, and staff, I have profound gratitude for all Mort Schrag 
has done for the center and our entire community.
  During the nearly two decades that Mr. Schrag served as the center's 
director, the constituency it served underwent radical changes. A 
previously Anglo area realized a sharp increase in the number of 
African-American families. In addition, a Jewish community consisting 
primarily of Jews who emigrated from Europe decades ago or were born in 
this country experienced an enormous influx of newly arrived refugees 
primarily from the former Soviet Union and Iran.
  An individual less brilliant, creative, and dedicated than Mort 
Schrag would have been overwhelmed by the challenge of so many radical 
changes occurring over such a short period of time. Mort Schrag 
welcomed these challenges and used them to vastly expand the range of 
the Westside Jewish Community Center's programs.
  Under Mort Schrag's leadership, the decades old educational and 
recreational programs were sustained and expanded. Intensive new 
programs were instituted to help immigrants acquire English language 
skills, master the culture of their new land and, in countless cases, 
achieve the coveted status of American citizen.
  Two of Mort Schrag's innovations attracted national attention and 
emulation. He established a Senior Adult Day Care Center that addressed 
the special social, cultural, and interpersonal needs of individuals 
whose advancing age led to their social isolation and limited their 
ability to continue activities in which they were previously involved.
  Mr. Schrag also established a Community College of Jewish Studies 
that brought Westside Center together with five area synagogues. This 
was a bold move and represented a dramatic collaboration of two 
traditions--the once secular centers movement and the traditional 
synagogue institutions--that had previously cooperated only at a 
minimal level.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to extend to Morton Schrag 
every wish for good health and success in all future endeavors, and for 
continued vigorous community involvement.


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