[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 90 (Thursday, June 30, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN HONOR OF VETERAN JOURNALIST GERSHON JACOBSON

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 29, 2005

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the life and 
achievements of Gershon Jacobson, the veteran Yiddish journalist, who 
founded and published the Algemeiner Journal. I am saddened to report 
that Mr. Jacobson passed away on May 29, 2005. He is survived by his 
loving family and his many friends, who have established the Gershon 
Jacobson Jewish Continuity Fund to serve as an anchor for the 
perpetuation of Mr. Jacobson's legacy.
  Mr. Jacobson was one of our Nation's most respected and influential 
journalists. He was born in Moscow in 1933 and soon emigrated to 
France, where he began his writing career. He then moved to America and 
immediately began working for the New York Herald Tribune. In the 
1960s, Mr. Jacobson replaced Eli Weisel as the U.N. correspondent for 
Israel's largest daily, Yediot Achronot. During this time, Mr. Jacobson 
became renowned for excellent reporting on the capture of German war 
criminal Adolf Eichmann and for his interviews with world leaders and 
other notable figures. In 1972, Mr. Jacobson founded the Yiddish-
English weekly, Der Algemeiner Journal. For the next 33 years, Mr. 
Jacobson served as its editor and publisher, and made it into a vital 
source of information for the Jewish community.
  Mr. Jacobson stood at the forefront of Jewish life in America for 
close to 60 years and served the public as an indispensable guide to 
the post-World War II period. The prominent Israeli daily Haaretz 
stated, ``Gershon Jacobson created a revolution in the Yiddish Press. 
Till his day, the Yiddish press occupied itself primarily with memories 
of the Shtetel, with romantic tales, and Yiddish literature and prose. 
Mr. Jacobson introduced into Yiddish journalism an acute awareness of 
the reality of Israel and the burning issues of contemporary Jewish 
life.''
  The Gershon Jacobson Jewish Continuity Fund will honor Mr. Jacobson's 
legacy and continue his work to battle for spiritual integrity and 
moral clarity. The fund's overall goal is to create a broad range of 
vehicles that will serve as a voice for Jews in the 21st century.
  Mr. Speaker, I request that my colleagues join me in honoring the 
late Gershon Jacobson, whose keen insight into international and 
domestic affairs made him a strong and courageous voice on behalf of 
the Jewish people and the State of Israel. With his passing, the 
community has lost one of its true heroes. My heart goes out to his 
family and friends who will miss him deeply.

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