[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 155 (Saturday, December 19, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MEMORIALIZING MRS. JUDITH BRAUN, A``H

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, December 19, 1998

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a 
constituent who was beloved in our community, Mrs. Alte Rivka Braunn, 
a``h.
  Mrs. Braun was the devoted wife of Rabbi Shlomo Braun, and was the 
daughter of Rabbi Moshe Yehudah Gross, famous shochet during the last 
30 years at Empire Kosher Poultry. She born in Czechoslovakia to 
parents who were Holocaust survivors. They fled Czechoslovakia and 
emigrated to America in 1968. Even under communist rule, Mrs. Braun 
exhibited strong inner faith and a personal generosity of spirit, 
accepting everything cheerfully. these attributes remained strong and 
enduring throughout her life.
  Mrs. Braun was very active with Aleh, an organization which provides 
services to the developmentally disabled. I have visited their 
facilities in Israel and can attest to the outstanding work they do. In 
recognition of her dedication to the work of Aleh, Mrs. Braun was 
memorialized at the annual Aleh luncheon held on May 17, 1998 (21 
Iyar).
  Additionally, Mrs. Braun spend countless hours each day helping 
patients in the emergency room at Maimonides Medical Center. She also 
found time to cook and bake for troubled families, personally 
delivering and serving food that she prepared in her own home.
  While Mrs. Braun's home was undergoing renovation, she requested that 
one room be set aside for hachnasas orchim use, providing a place to 
stay for a traveler who has no place to stay, which is one of the 
highest mitzvot. She found great strength in the knowledge that her 
house was always utilized by guests from all over the world--from 
Israel, Denmark, France, Mexico, Belgium, and other countries.
  During the three years of her illness, Mrs. Braun suffered untold 
pain. Rabbi Braun, her devoted husband, arranged for the best doctors 
and tried everything humanly possible to alleviate her illness. 
Unfortunately, that was not God's will, and Mrs. Braun passed away on 
the 27th day of Tishrei, last year. She left a family of six children, 
with four still at home. The youngest, Yaakov, is only five years old.
  Mr. Speaker, I have had the privilege of knowing the Braun family for 
quite a few years. The exemplary lives of Rabbi and Mrs. Braun are 
truly an inspiration to our neighbors for their dedication to their 
community and to those in need. Our community was enriched by Mrs. 
Braun's life and mitzvot. I commend her example to my colleagues.

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