[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 71 (Tuesday, May 2, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   SALUTE TO ABRAHAM H. HOCHBERG ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY

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                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 2, 1995
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute a very special 
constituent, Abraham H. Hochberg, who will celebrate his 90th birthday 
this weekend.
  Mr. Hochberg was born on May 9, 1905, in Biala-Podlaska, Poland, 
which is near the Russian border. As they grew up, his children heard 
many of his stories about his own childhood, about the terrible years 
of World War I, and about his apprenticeship as a watchmaker.
  By the time he was 18, he realized, like so many others, that his 
future would not be in the Old World but in the New, and he made plans 
to come to the United States. But in 1923, because of restrictive 
immigration laws, his first stop was not to be the shores of America 
but Cuba, even though he spoke not a word of Spanish. And it was to 
Havana that, 5 years later, Freida Faijgenbaum of Biala-Podlaska sailed 
for a reunion with, and her marriage to, Mr. Hochberg.
  In 1933, the Hochberg's were finally able to leave for America and, 
despite not being able to speak a word of English, settled here in the 
Nation's Capital and later in Chevy Chase, MD. Over the years, Mr. 
Hochberg became a successful businessman with several enterprises. Many 
longtime Washingtonians will remember Hochberg's Jewelers at 7th and E 
Streets NW., which served Washington families and visitors alike until 
the sixties.
  But business has been only a part of Mr. Hochberg's life. His family 
and the community in which he lives have been important in this man's 
long and well-lived life. As the father of 3, the grandfather of 11, 
and the great-grandfather of 12, he has known the great joys and 
pleasures of family life. And he has known great sorrow. Many of his 
relatives in Poland perished in the Holocaust. Mrs. Hochberg passed 
away last year.
  Throughout his life, he has been devoted to improving the lives of 
those around him through his generosity and wise counsel. He has always 
been a practitioner of what we today call community service. He has 
been particularly involved in the affairs of Homecrest House and the 
Hebrew Home, residences for the elderly in my district. He has just 
celebrated his 50th anniversary as a member of the Benjamin Franklin 
Masonic Lodge.
  Mr. Hochberg's story, a story of a life well lived, is the proverbial 
American success story: a man who came to this country with few 
possessions but many hopes and dreams, who worked long and hard, and 
who happily shared his talents and success with his family, friends, 
and neighbors. Today, Mr. Hochberg's life is reflected in the lives of 
the thousands of people from all over the world who still come to the 
United States with their hopes and dreams and little else. And I know 
that must make him smile.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope you will join me in congratulating Abraham H. 
Hochberg on the occasion of his 90th birthday celebration.


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