[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 116 (Friday, September 5, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1668-E1669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF THE GUARDIANS OF THE SICK

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CHARLES E. SCHUMER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 5, 1997

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Speaker, one of the pleasures of serving in this 
legislative body is the opportunity we occasionally get to acknowledge 
publicly the outstanding entities of our communities.
  It is not easy to find someone who does something for nothing these 
days. No person is willing to give something away if it won't benefit 
him directly. That is why the gift of blood is so commendable: it is 
literally a selfless donation of one's own life source to save someone 
else's life.
  Today I applaud the achievements of the Guardians of the Sick Blood 
Drive. This Brooklyn-based blood donor organization, the largest in New 
York State, has achieved record numbers of blood donations through its 
tireless public outreach, under the outstanding leadership of its 
chairman, Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum. In an effort to encourage the 
members of the Orthodox community to donate blood, Guardians has 
championed the act as a mitzvah, a moral obligation to contribute to 
the life-saving efforts of the larger community. The Orthodox Jewish 
community's prolific service to the general public is unmatched in its 
monumental pace: last year alone the Guardians collected thousands of 
pints of blood, at scores of locations throughout Brooklyn. Each of 
those thousands of times, an Orthodox Jew performed the mitzvah of 
donating blood to save another human being's life.
  The Guardians of the Sick has an honored tradition of community 
service, alleviating the discomfort of the sick and hospitalized 
members of the community for many years. Now it has another credit to 
its exemplary record: it has extended the boundaries of its benevolence 
to benefit every citizen of the State of

[[Page E1669]]

New York and beyond. The immediate success of the blood drive attests 
to the great need it serves: bolstering the available blood bank for 
all emergency situations of life and death.
  Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani selected the Guardians of the Sick for the 
New York City Community Development Agency's 1996 Most Outstanding 
community-based organization award. Today I select the Guardians' Blood 
Drive and its chairman, Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum, for special 
recognition in light of their remarkable achievements in serving 
humanity. Also I would like to commend Mr. Louis Glueck for his 
aggressive leadership, Rabbi Shmuel Steinharter, executive director for 
his masterly administration, and Mrs. Esther Schoenblum, its blood 
drive coordinator for her dynamic zeal in making it all come together.
  I hereby proclaim my incessant support and encouragement for the 
heroic goals of the Guardians of the Sick Blood Drive.

                          ____________________