[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 78 (Thursday, June 13, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     A STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR ALEX STEINER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 12, 2002

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, Alex Steiner, Holocaust survivor 
and longtime resident of Highland Park, New Jersey, died May 23, 2002 
in Oregon. Alex (``Sanyi,'' to his intimates) was born in Budapest, 
Hungary, in 1920. He was a young man when World War Two came to his 
native land. Like many able-bodied Jewish male citizens, he was 
confined to a Hungarian labor camp for most of the War. After the War, 
Alex, his mother and older sister (their father, an older brother and 
many other extended family members did not survive), were displaced 
persons in Germany. They immigrated to the United States in 1949 to New 
Brunswick, New Jersey, where Alex's uncle sponsor and his family lived.
  Alex embraced American patriotism and bought into the American dream. 
He was hardworking and ambitious for himself and for his family. Among 
his occupations he owned a shoe store in New Brunswick and sold 
commercial real estate. He and his wife Julie (``Joli''), a 
concentration camp survivor, extended themselves to provide a 
comfortable home in a good neighborhood for the family. Alex was always 
openly grateful to the United States for providing him a chance for the 
good life. He often insisted that few understood how unparalleled in 
goodness and opportunity our country is.
  After his retirement and his wife's death, Alex moved with his son to 
Portland where his lawyer daughter and her family lived. He was a 
loving, attentive grandparent to his two grandsons and an active 
optimistic person to the moment of his final illness.
  Alex Steiner was a lively, fun-loving, voluble, energetic social man. 
He was a talented musician who played several instruments and could 
readily pick up any piece of music. In Germany he led an orchestra that 
performed for American service personnel. When he came to America, he 
brought as an appreciative present for his young American cousin a 
full-sized accordion.
  He was a loving relative, whose closeness to his uncle and others was 
especially touching. Survived by his son, daughter and two grandsons, 
he will be missed as a bright spot in life by those who knew him well.

                          ____________________