[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S5376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ALICE LIEBERMAN

 Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition today to 
pay tribute to Alice Lieberman, the mother of my former executive 
secretary Sylvia Nolde. Alice Lieberman is a woman of grace and 
strength and a role model for all ages. In testament of her service to 
her community and her positive impact on the youth of our Nation, I am 
submitting ``A Senior Portrait'', written by Ms. Abby Altshcul. The 
following was written by Abby for her essay on her college admissions 
application to Cornell University, where she was accepted.

                           A Senior Portrait

       With Congress pushing for cuts in Medicare and the baby 
     boomers struggling to stay young, irreverence for old age 
     seems to be at an all time high. Fortunately, a few 
     teenagers, who have at one point lived in Charlottesville, 
     Virginia still hold great respect for their elders. The 
     reason for this is Alice Lieberman, an 85-year-old Jewish 
     grandmother who has become the matriarch for the city's 
     Jewish community. These teems fondly remember chicken dinners 
     at her house and Friday night services by her side at 
     congregation Beth Israel. She had been a role model as a 
     long-time active member of Hadassah (a Jewish women's 
     organization), even assuming the presidency at the age of 
     eighty. Her fifty plus year marriage to Myer Lieberman and 
     commitment to her family has been an inspiration in this age 
     of high divorce rates and dysfunctional families. Her care 
     for her husband when he went to a nursing home led the way to 
     her volunteer work at Cedars Nursing Home. Alice even 
     influenced a girl named Abby to join her and work at the 
     Cedars for her bat mitzvah community service project and to 
     continue to visit the elderly friends they had made after the 
     bat mitzvah. Alice inherited this sense of duty from her 
     mother and passed it on to her two daughters, a teacher and a 
     congressional aide, who continue to volunteer while retired.
       For many of her ``young friends'' it became a threat rather 
     than a chore to go to synagogue on Friday night and sit 
     quietly next to her. She transmitted the comfort and 
     tranquility she received from the prayers to Abby and anyone 
     else who was lucky enough to be seated beside her. One of 
     Abby's earliest memories is of sitting in services and 
     drawing a picture of her best friend, Alice, who sat next to 
     her. Alice still proudly displays the drawing next to Abby's 
     senior photo in her dining room. Ever since Abby moved away 
     two years ago, services haven't been as meaningful or 
     enjoyable without Alice. Her devotion is an inspiration to 
     many Jews especially the young people whom she effects.
       The vitality Alice displays brings a whole new meaning to 
     the phrase ``aging gracefully.'' She goes everywhere and does 
     everything on her own without fear, even after a fall a few 
     years ago that resulted in a broken hip and landed her in a 
     nursing home for a few weeks. She entertains often and 
     continues to be an important part of Hadassah as head of 
     their ongoing and most successful fundraiser. Some people use 
     their golden years to relax and let the world serve them, but 
     for Alice Lieberman it is a chance to imbue the next 
     generation with motivation.

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