[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 161 (Monday, December 15, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2406-E2407]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


TRIBUTE TO GABRIEL A. EREM ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS ESTABLISHMENT 
                         OF LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 13, 1997

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Gabriel Erem, the publisher of Lifestyles magazine, upon 
the 25th anniversary of the establishment of his prestigious 
publication. On its 25th anniversary, Lifestyles features an 
outstanding governing committee: They are: Mr. Erem, national director 
of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham H. Foxman, philanthropist and 
humanitarian, Mrs. Ludwig Jesselson, philanthropist and community 
leader, Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder, international business leader, 
Professor Peter Littman, futurist and best-selling author, Faith 
Popcorn, international marketing guru and recipient of the French 
Legion of Honor, Michel Roux, community and business leader, Howard 
Rubenstein, founder of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, Rabbi 
Arthur Schneier, violin virtuoso and chairman of Carnegie Hall, Isaac 
Stern, community leader and philanthropist, Andrew Tisch, international 
Jewish leader, Peggy Tischman, and Nobel Laureate, Elie Wiesel.
  In order to understand why Lifestyles magazine was created, one must 
first learn about the personal history of its publisher, Gabriel Erem. 
Mr. Erem was born in Hungary right after the Second World War. During 
that war, 186 members of his family perished in the gas chambers of 
Auschwitz. Twenty-five years ago, when Mr. Erem started Lifestyles 
magazine, his goal was to show Jewish contributions to the world. 
Currently, Mr. Erem serves in a volunteer capacity on the committees of 
many worthy charities and organizations. One of them is the prestigious 
Weitzmann Institute of Science in Israel. Mr. Erem related to me that 
during a recent dinner for the institute in which Lifestyles magazine 
participated, there were 44 individuals honored for their contributions 
to medical research. All of these 44 individuals were recipients of the 
Nobel Prize in their respective fields.
  Mr. Erem recently told me of a private talk he had with the late 
Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir, following the Yom Kippur war. 
Mrs. Meir said to him that ``the world does not understand what it 
means to lose 6 million human beings to a systematic massacre.'' The 
Prime Minister then continued, ``The real tragedy is that the world 
does not seem to understand that it is not only those 6 million human 
beings that we are missing, but that it is the generations that will 
never happen after them.'' Steven Spielberg's film ``Schindler's List'' 
made a similar point when, at the conclusion of the movie, the 
following words appeared on the screen: ``From the 1,100 human beings 
Oskar Schindler saved, today there are more than 6,000 descendants 
alive.''
  Remembering what Golda Meir said and using the equation at the end of 
Schindler's List, Gabriel Erem pointed out to me that during the 
Holocaust we lost a potential of over 36 million human beings who could 
have been members of our society. Just ask yourselves a question: How 
many Einsteins? How many Nobel Laureates? How many great philosophers, 
doctors, scientists, * * *? We will never know. It is not only a Jewish 
loss--it is the world's loss as well.
  Lifestyles magazine was established to salute Jewish contributions in 
all arenas of life. Jewish-Americans of all backgrounds, professional 
and philanthropic interests consider it an honor and a privilege to be 
included in this most prestigious publication. Over the past 25 years, 
one could read on its pages exciting, intimate profiles of 
extraordinary human beings ranging from Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel to 
the musical giant Isaac Stern and thousands of individuals who excelled 
in their various fields, making this world a better place. Lifestyles 
magazine has also treated its subjects with the utmost seriousness, and 
it has established itself as a respected voice of integrity. Each issue 
is dedicated to helping humanitarian causes of all kinds. Working hand 
in glove with virtually hundreds of humanitarian causes, its 
publication not only serves as a mirror of North American Jewish 
society for the past quarter century, but also as a beacon of 
charitable giving. Lifestyles magazine's commitment to advancing the 
Nation's democratic principles is also underscored by its constant 
activities in the fields of culture, business and the sciences.
  Gabriel Erem, a child of Holocaust survivors, is being saluted for 
his passionate commitment to teaching Jewish history and culture and 
preserving the Jewish legacy to the world. Recently, Gabriel Erem made 
a sizable contribution to Holocaust education in our country by 
dedicating an entire issue of Lifestyles magazine to describing the 
goals of Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation, an organization committed 
to teaching future generations about the lessons of the Holocaust.
  Mr. Speaker, Gabriel Erem is a man of outstanding commitment and 
accomplishment in

[[Page E2407]]

the noblest of pursuits. His contribution to culture, education, ethnic 
understanding, and the spreading of democratic and free market 
principles is truly awe inspiring. Through his vast commitment to 
preserving and nurturing Jewish communal life, both in the United 
States and Canada, Gabriel Erem has made a tremendous and enduring gift 
to the education of future generations about Jewish history and 
culture.
  I commend Gabriel Erem and Lifestyles magazine for their unnumerable 
contributions to our society and I invite my colleagues to join me in 
applauding Gabriel Erem and Lifestyles magazine on their continuing 
mission.

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