[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 120 (Thursday, September 22, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1937-E1938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        ROFEH INTERNATIONAL HONORS PETER BLACK AND RAHMIN KODSI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 22, 2005

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, for years I have taken the 
opportunity to share through the pages of the Congressional Record the 
important work done by a very significant institution--ROFEH 
International--New England Chassidic Center.
  This important organization, led by Grand Rabbi Levi Y. Horowitz, 
does extremely important and creative work in the medical field. Rabbi 
Horowitz is himself a very distinguished expert in the field of medical 
ethics, and demonstrates beyond any argument that an appreciation of 
the advantages of modern medicine and a deep commitment to one of the 
world's great religious traditions is not only fully compatible but can 
be mutually reinforcing.
  This organization has done a great deal to help people in need of 
medical treatment and has done much to make sure that the superb 
medical facilities of the Greater Boston Area are available to people 
worldwide.
  This year at the Annual Dinner on November 20, ROFEH International-
New England Chassidic Center will honor two very eminent men who have 
distinguished themselves in support of this important work.
  Dr. Peter Black, Neurosurgeon-in-Chief at Brigham and Women's 
Hospital, receives the ``ROFEH International Distinguished Service 
Award.'' Rahmin Kodsi, President of Clement Textile Company in Boston, 
is the recipient of the ``Man of the Year'' award.
  Mr. Speaker, the sort of work that ROFEH International-New England 
Chassidic Center does in the medical field is highly worthy of 
emulation and I am taking advantage of this opportunity to ask that the 
drafts of biographies of these two extremely qualified honorees be made 
a part of this record.


                      Peter M. Black, M.D., Ph.D.

  Dr. Peter Black has devoted most of his professional life to 
understanding and treating patients of all ages with brain tumors and/
or epilepsy. He has traveled widely in developing countries to teach 
techniques and concepts. In Boston, he has developed a busy 
neurosurgical practice, believing that compassion, good judgment, and 
technical excellence must go hand in hand.
  Dr. Black is a graduate of Harvard College and McGill Medical School, 
with neurosurgical residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital and 
a staff position there. In 1987, he became Franc D. Ingraham Professor 
of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School, Chairman, Departments of 
Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital, 
Neurosurgeon-in-Chief at Brigham & Women's Hospital, and Chief of 
Neurosurgical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Center, positions he has 
continued to hold since then.
  He has published extensively in tumor and epilepsy research with over 
350 peer-reviewed papers and ten books on these topics. His clinical 
work emphasizes cutting edge technology for treating tumors of all 
types; he is a leader in image-guided minimally invasive surgery, brain 
mapping, and intraoperative imaging for tumors.
  Dr. Black is the chairman of the editorial board of Neurosurgery and 
sits on several other editorial boards of scientific journals. He is a 
frequent invited speaker at national and international conferences. 
Among his awards are the Mayfield, ASEAN and Botterell awards, the 
Distinguished Service award for the Joint Section on Tumors, the 
Distinguished Leadership in Neuroscience award for the Dana Alliance 
for Brain Initiatives, and the Pioneer Award from the Children's Brain 
Tumor

[[Page E1938]]

Foundation, and the Thomson Compassionate Scholar award from the 
Brigham and Women's Hospital.
  Dr. Peter Black and Katharine his wife of38 years, have five 
children: Winifred, Peter Thomas, Elizabeth, Katharine, and 
Christopher, who live and work around the world.


                            Mr. Rahmin Kodsi

  Born in Cairo, Egypt in 1929, Rahmin Kodsi was only 16 years old when 
his father passed away. As the only son who suddenly needed to support 
his mother and two sisters, Rahmin was forced to drop out of school to 
assume his late father's textile business.
  In 1960, Rahmin married Ginette, and they are now the proud parents 
of three daughters: Louna Levana, Lili Leah and Joyce Simcha.
  During the Six Day War, the Egyptian government imprisoned and 
confiscated the property of successful Jews, accusing them of 
involvement with the Israeli government. As a prominent Egyptian Jew, 
Rahmin suffered that fate as well, though he was fortunate (relatively) 
enough to only spend 3 weeks in prison. He was subsequently relocated 
to Naples, and his family followed three months later. The Kodsi family 
lived briefly in Paris and then came to Boston in 1968.
  In Boston, Rahmin opened his first textile business-Clement Textile--
in 1971. He has contributed significantly to the Boston Jewish 
landscape as well as to the business world. He sits on the board of 
directors of the Sephardic Community of Greater Boston, and he 
participates in many other philanthropic projects.
  Today, Rahmin and Ginette live in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, where 
they share many simchas with their daughters,

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