[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 131 (Friday, October 1, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO BYRON AND DOROTHY DAVIDSON GERSON ON THE DEDICATION OF THE 
  SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD TRIPLE GATE MONUMENTAL STAIRS AND OBSERVATION 
                                 PLAZA

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday October 1, 1999.

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the 
outstanding civic contributions of Dorothy Davidson Gerson and Byron 
Gerson. The Gersons and their wonderful family have, for decades, 
supported a wide range of civic and philanthropic causes. I am honored 
to know them and welcome the opportunity to pay tribute to them for 
their unusual devotion to advancing Jewish community life.
  The most recent example of the Gersons' generosity will be 
inaugurated this weekend. On Sunday, October 3, in Jerusalem the Second 
Temple period Triple Gate Monumental Stairs and Observation Plaza will 
be dedicated. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Jerusalem Mayor Ehud 
Olmert, and other Israeli leaders and scholars will participate in this 
celebration. The Triple Gate restoration project, located in the 
Jerusalem Archeological Park and developed by the Israel Antiquities 
Authority, was realized thanks to the strong support of the Gersons. It 
will be dedicated in loving memory of Dorothy's parents, Sarah and 
Ralph Davidson, both highly respected for their own contributions to 
the Jewish community and to civic life.
  The historical significance of the Gersons' altruism will be 
appreciated for generations to come. The Triple Gate and the Double 
Gate, also known as the Huldah Gates, were one of the principal 
entrances to the Temple Mount for pilgrims during biblical times. This 
area of the southern wall was badly damaged following the destruction 
of the Second Temple. The western Huldah Gate, or Double Gate, now lies 
below the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The eastern Huldah Gate, or Triple Gate, 
consisted of three arched entryways at the time of the Second Temple. 
Now parts of the threshold and the doorjamb are all that remain of the 
Triple Gate. A monumental staircase was earlier located in front of the 
Triple Gate. Much of this staircase has now been reconstructed, 
affording visitors the opportunity to envision the southern entrances 
to the Temple Mount as it was during the Second Temple period.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the 
generosity of Byron and Dorothy Davidson Gerson, and in congratulating 
them on the forthcoming dedication of the Triple Gate Monumental Stairs 
and Observation Plaza. This project will serve not only as a historical 
treasure, but also as an appropriate monument to the Gersons' 
passionate devotion to ensuring that the lessons and legacy of our past 
are preserved for centuries to come.

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