[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 115 (Wednesday, September 22, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1680]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF JUDITH BERSTEIN-BAKER, A 2004 RECIPIENT OF THE MARY 
                    PHILBROOK PUBLIC INTEREST AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 22, 2004

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate 
Judith Berstein-Baker as a 2004 recipient of the Mary Philbrook Public 
Interest Award. This award is given annually by the Women's Law Caucus 
and the Association for Public Interest Law, in cooperation with the 
Rutgers University Law School and its Alumni Association, to 
acknowledge gifted, dedicated individuals who contribute outstanding 
work on behalf of social justice and equality.
  Ms. Bernstein-Baker currently serves as the Executive Director at the 
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Council Migration Service of 
Philadelphia, which works to ensure the protection and fair treatment 
of immigrants and refugees, to assist such persons in their efforts to 
become productive members of society, and to educate the larger 
community about the positive ways in which new Americans contribute to 
society. She brings to this position a lifelong commitment to fighting 
poverty and prejudice. Born to a Jewish immigrant who had fled Poland 
to avoid persecution, she worked first as a social worker helping to 
organize communities and improve neighborhoods. Ms. Bernstein-Baker 
went on to graduate from Temple University Law School, as well as to 
serve as Counsel to the Support Center for Child Advocates and to found 
the nationally-known Public Service Program at the University of 
Pennsylvania Law School. She continues to contribute valuable 
leadership in the field and has done notable federal appellate work as 
well.
  Mary Philbrook, for whom the award is named, was the first woman 
admitted to the New Jersey Bar and a founder of the state's first 
statewide legal aid society, as well as an eminent leader in the 
efforts for women's suffrage and the passage of the Equal Rights 
Amendment. It is in this tradition that the award is given each year, 
and it is clear that Ms. Bernstein-Baker's work has made her more than 
worthy of this recognition. She truly has demonstrated the difference 
that one person can make in the lives of others, and I offer her my 
congratulations and best wishes in her future endeavors.

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