[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 105 (Monday, June 26, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO MAX RATNER, CLEVELAND BUSINESS LEADER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 26, 1995

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, the Cleveland community recently mourned the 
passing of a distinguished member of the business community. We were 
saddened at the passing of Mr. Max Ratner. This outstanding individual 
was the chairman of Forest City Enterprises, Inc.; he was a major 
scholarship and arts contributor; and he was a leading benefactor to 
the state of Israel. With his passing, the Greater Cleveland area has 
lost a staunch business leader and advocate for the city. Many of us 
also mourn the loss of a close, personal friend. I want to share with 
my colleagues and the Nation some information regarding Max Ratner.
  Max Ratner came to the United States in 1920 from the city of 
Bialystok, in old Russia. He came to America at the encouragement of 
his older brother, Charles. Other family members followed as the 
Ratners settled on Cleveland's east side. Max attended Glenville High 
School and earned a law degree from Cleveland-Marshall Law School, 
which is now part of Cleveland State University.
  Mr. Speaker, the birth of Forest City Enterprises, Inc., can be 
attributed to the hard work and dedication of the Ratner family. The 
Ratners invested in a lumber store in the 1920's. From the purchase of 
another facility, Rockport Lumber Co. in 1939, and the subsequent 
expansion of building activities, was born Forest City Enterprises. 
With the strong leadership of Max Ratner, Forest City Enterprises has 
grown to become one of Cleveland's most successful businesses. The 
Greater Cleveland area has benefited from shopping centers, apartment 
buildings, and other home-building projects undertaken by Forest City. 
Max Ratner and his family can also be credited with the expansion of 
the Cleveland population to suburban areas including Maple Heights, 
Parma, Willowick, and Brook Park.
  Mr. Speaker, Max Ratner not only exhibited a concern for the welfare 
and economic State of residents of the Cleveland community, but he was 
committed to helping those in other parts of the world. Max Ratner was 
one of the giants of the North American Jewish community. He visited 
the State of Israel more than 150 times, and was a driving force in the 
effort to help the State build its economy. In recognition of Max 
Ratner's longstanding efforts, last year Hebrew University in Jerusalem 
conferred an honorary degree upon him.
  Mr. Speaker, in an editorial which appeared in the Plain Dealer 
newspaper, Max Ratner is described as ``a man who was hard-working, 
strong, kind and honorable.'' Those words are accurate in describing a 
man who devoted his life to helping others. I join the Cleveland 
business community and many others in expressing our deepest sympathy 
to the Ratner family. We pause today to pay tribute to Max Ratner, a 
giant who will never be forgotten.

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