[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 108 (Wednesday, July 28, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1669]]


INTRODUCTION OF H. CON. RES. 163 CALLING FOR THE FULL INVESTIGATION OF 
  THE BOMBING OF THE JEWISH CULTURAL CENTER IN BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ANTHONY D. WEINER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 27, 1999

  Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker, today is the Tisha B'Av, 5759 by the Hebrew 
calendar, the most important day of mourning in the Jewish year. It is 
the anniversary of the most tragic events in Jewish history, for it was 
on the this day, in 3338 that the first temple in Jerusalem was 
destroyed by the Babylonians, and in 3828 that the second temple was 
destroyed by the Romans.
  Although this day is primarily meant to commemorate the destruction 
of the Temple, it is appropriate to consider on this day the many other 
tragedies of the Jewish people, many of which occurred on this day, the 
expulsion of the Jews from Spain, Betar, the last fortress to hold out 
against the Romans during the Bar Kochba revolt, fell, and so many 
others.
  But the tragedies of Jewish history are not all so ancient. This past 
Sunday marked the 5th anniversary of the bombing of the Jewish Cultural 
Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On July 18, 1994, the Jewish 
Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina was destroyed by a terrorist 
bomb. Eighty-six people were killed. Over 300 people were wounded. The 
Argentina Mutual Aid Association's archive of community records, which 
dated back to 1894, was destroyed.
  While this bomb destroyed the building, and the records, and the 
lives of so many--Jews and non-Jews alike--it has not dampened the 
spirit of the Jewish population of Argentina, which at 250,000 is 
second only to the United states in this hemisphere.
  What is dispiriting is that today, five years after that tragic 
bombing, we still have not brought the terrorists to justice. Though we 
have recently seen the arrest of more suspects, there is still no 
resolution, no closure for the families that still grieve for their 
loved ones.
  That is why I am choosing today, Tisha B'Av, the ninth of Av, to 
introduce a concurrent resolution calling upon the Argentine Government 
to fully support and devote all resources necessary to the efforts of 
Judge Juan Jose Galeano and to fully investigate, apprehend, and 
prosecute those responsible for the bombing; requesting that the 
Argentine security forces and the judiciary of Argentina not impede 
this independent investigation; and requesting that Argentine President 
Carlos Menem appoint an independent committee to investigate and report 
on the integrity and competence of Argentina's system of justice.
  I invite my colleagues to cosponsor this resolution.

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