[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 46 (Monday, March 13, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3850-S3851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              BETTYLU SALTZMAN RECEIVES THE DEBORAH AWARD

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, for a number of years, my Chicago 
office was run by someone for whom I have come to have great respect, 
Bettylu Saltzman.
  Recently, she was honored by the American Jewish Congress, along with 
Elaine Wishner, for her leadership.
  That happened 6 or 8 weeks ago. Just recently, I had the opportunity 
to read her acceptance remarks.
  Her eloquent remarks urge people to be sensitive and understanding, 
to reach out to all human beings, while being proud and sensitive of 
our individual traditions.
  While the remarks are addressed to a Jewish audience, those of us who 
are Christians can learn from reading her remarks also.
  I should add, Bettylu Saltzman, in these remarks, follows a great 
tradition. Her father, Philip Klutznick, served as one of our 
Ambassadors to the United Nations and served as Secretary of Commerce 
under Jimmy Carter. But more important than the offices he held was the 
way he held them. He called for reaching out when it was unpopular, as 
Bettylu mentions in her remarks.
  I am proud to have a citizen like Bettylu Saltzman in the State of 
Illinois.
  At this point, I ask that her remarks be printed in the Record.
  The remarks follow:

       It's a great honor to be here tonight. And while I remember 
     Golda Meir's famous admonition--``Don't be humble; you're not 
     that great''--it's hard to avoid, when sharing an honor with 
     Elaine Wishner and joining the ranks of the other outstanding 
     women who have been recognized in the past seven years.
       I don't know if I belong among them, but I'm proud to stand 
     with them, as they are truly people who have made a 
     difference--giving of themselves to make the world a better 
     place for all of us.
       [[Page S3851]] Through their examples, they have advanced 
     the cause of justice which is an essential part of Jewish 
     values and Jewish tradition.
       Since its inception, the American Jewish Congress has 
     personified that tradition. And for the past ten years, the 
     Commission for Women's Equality has provided valuable and 
     enlightened leadership.
       I'm delighted to lend my name to that important effort.
       But this evening also is gratifying because it marks a kind 
     of milestone in my own evolution.
       Though I come from a family with a deep commitment to 
     Judaism and Israel, it is only in recent years that I have 
     really come to terms with what that means to me.
       I am the only girl among five children and I believe that 
     is the reason I was largely deprived of the religious and 
     cultural
      education that might have given me an earlier and richer 
     appreciation for Jewish history and tradition.
       Like many contemporary Jews, I struggled with the relevance 
     of religion in my life, when religion seemed remote and 
     ritualistic. And, as a much younger woman, I tried to find my 
     place in Jewish life, in a community in which such 
     participation was strictly dictated by a few, so-called 
     ``mainstream'' organizations, in which men dominated and 
     alternative points of view were not particularly well 
     received.
       My own metamorphosis began with the realization of the 
     underlying lessons and values that form the foundation of 
     Judaism--values that are as relevant and important today as 
     they were thousands of years ago.
       We Jews believe that it is our responsibility to repair the 
     world--Tikkun Olam, and a commitment to justice is a 
     recurrent theme in our history. The entire prophetic 
     tradition commands us to show compassion and seek justice. We 
     do this not just for our fellow Jews, but for all human 
     beings.
       Listen carefully to this quote from Leviticus inscribed on 
     the Liberty Bell--``Proclaim liberty throughout all the land 
     unto all the inhabitants thereof''.
       That is why I'm proud to serve with Susan Manilow on the 
     board of Mount Sinai Hospital, where Ruth Rothstein labored 
     so long and hard to see to it that Chicagoans of all races, 
     religions and creeds are provided with excellent health care. 
     It is why I served on the board of the Crossroads Fund and 
     continue to serve on the board of the Jewish Council on Urban 
     Affairs.
       Recently I was introduced to someone who recognized me as a 
     trustee of Mount Sinai Hospital--a position of which I am 
     justifiably proud. So, I was quite disturbed when this person 
     admonished me that I should spend more time worrying about 
     Jews, instead of poor people in the inner city.
       Ethics, morality and the commandment to help others, are 
     central to our tradition and our way of life. Through such 
     activities, I have found my place in the Jewish community and 
     in the process I have come to understand my Jewishness in a 
     much deeper sense.
       I share this thought because of the current debate on 
     Jewish continuity, and my belief that if we are to encourage 
     the perpetuation of Jewish awareness, we must discourage the 
     kind of thinking that would dismiss a Mount Sinai Hospital or 
     Jewish Council on Urban Affairs as an invalid way of 
     expressing one's commitment to Jewish values.
       The same is true of attitudes toward how one can best 
     express support for Israel, and whether there is room for 
     different approaches and views.
       Over a decade ago, my father Philip Klutznick, courageously 
     spoke of the need to bridge the chasm between Arab and Jew. 
     He said we cannot afford, nor should we want, Israel to live 
     in a perpetual state of war, and suggested that Israel's 
     survival demanded an end to the conflict.
       Though he devoted much of his life to the Jewish community 
     and support of Israel, he was censured by some members of the 
     community, who accused him of treachery and betrayal.
       Today, once again, there was an horrendous terrorist attack 
     at a bus stop north of Tel Aviv. Many lives were lost and 
     many more Israeli citizens were maimed. But does it behoove 
     us to give in to the enemies of peace, who perpetrate these 
     atrocities in the Middle East or any place else in the world? 
     I hope not.
       I do not believe that due to the heroic actions of Israeli 
     and Arab leaders, my father's dream of peace is several steps 
     closer today.
       I am vice president of the New Israel Fund, an organization 
     dedicated to promoting social justice and democracy within 
     Israel. I support the work of the Fund because it is 
     consistent with my belief that maintaining a civil and just 
     society takes vigilance and hard work, beginning at the 
     grassroots, and because continued political, economic and 
     moral support for Israel from America and the world community 
     depends upon its survival as a healthy and robust democracy.
       This endeavor is the way I have chosen to act on my 
     commitment to Israel, though in the past, the New Israel Fund 
     was not an organization that was always warmly welcomed into 
     the Jewish community.
       But my hope, as we carry on this debate about Jewish 
     continuity, is that we think more expansively, understanding 
     that there are many ways to demonstrate our devotion, each as 
     valid as the next.
       If one chooses to invest time and resources in an 
     organization like the New Israel Fund, that is a triumph for 
     the community, because it means one more person committed to 
     justice, equality and the principles of Judaism.
       In times when we are concerned about Jews in America 
     drifting away, we simply cannot afford to disqualify and 
     discourage those who are reaching out to find their place in 
     the community.
       And I hope I don't offend, when I include in that category 
     the young couples, Jew and non-Jew, who ask a rabbi to join 
     them in marriage. By seeking rabbinic involvement they are 
     making an important choice. By refusing them, we simply 
     insure the likelihood that one more couple will be lost, and 
     one more family isolated from our traditions.
       My point is that we cannot address the issue of Jewish 
     continuity without broadening our horizons and opening our 
     arms. Rigidity will not lead to greater Jewish 
     identification--inclusiveness will.
       As the years go by, I grow more and more appreciative of 
     the meaning and value of Judaism, the sense of rootedness and 
     belonging, and the opportunity to participate in Jewish life 
     in ways in which I feel most comfortable.
       That's a wonderful gift, which I want my children and 
     future generations to share.
       But for that to happen they must embrace our traditions and 
     as a community we must enhance the attractiveness of a 
     variety of paths leading to meaningful Jewish experiences; 
     not devalue or marginalize choices that diverge from the 
     middle of the road.
       Tonight, you have honored me for the manner in which I have 
     chosen to connect with those traditions, and in doing so, you 
     have sent an important message that there are many meaningful 
     ways to fulfill our obligations as Jews.
       For that, as much as for this wonderful award, I thank you 
     very much.
     

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