[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S5388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING STEVEN SCHWARZ
Mr. REID. Mr. President, last week I attended a ceremony in the
Capitol Rotunda to commemorate the 2007 Holocaust Days of Remembrance.
Fred Zeidman and Joel Geiderman, Chairman and Vice Chairman of the
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, spoke eloquently about the horror and
courage, the unspeakable tragedy and unimaginable heroism that even 62
years later we cannot begin to comprehend.
Sara Bloomfield, Director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, as
well as my colleague, Senator Joe Lieberman, added their own powerful
words.
I was privileged to sit beside Steven Schwarz. As we sat together,
Steven listened silently, tears streaming down his face. Afterward, he
told me his story.
Born in Poland, Steven lost both parents and a brother in the
Holocaust. Forged with sheer willpower and blessings from God, he, his
late wife Tina, and his brother Henryk managed to survive by hiding out
in Poland. In 1953, they came to the United States and were welcomed
with open arms. In the years that followed, Steven and his brother rose
to become prominent and successful businessmen, overcoming great
suffering to live the American dream.
Steven Schwarz embodies the grace and fortitude of all those who
wrested triumph from despair. I am honored to have shared that day of
remembrance with him and pleased to now pay tribute to his life story
in the Record of the U.S. Congress as a powerful and poignant example
of the unbreakable human spirit.
____________________