[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 87 (Friday, May 25, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1170-E1171]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING WILLIAM AND ESTHER DAVIDOWITZ AS THEY ARE HONORED AS 
       ``PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY'' IN WILKES-BARRE PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2007

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask you and my esteemed 
colleagues in the House of Representatives to pay tribute to William 
and Esther Davidowitz who are being honored as Amudei Tzibur, or 
Pillars of the Community, by Temple Israel in Wilkes-Barre, 
Pennsylvania.
  Mr. and Mrs. Davidowitz will be formally honored at Temple Israel's 
annual dinner to be held Wednesday, June 13, 2007.
  Mr. and Mrs. Davidowitz are regarded as exemplary role models due to 
their achievements in both the Jewish community and the greater Wyoming 
Valley community.
  Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Mr. 
Davidowitz served in the United States Army during World War II and 
later attended Penn State University where he graduated with a 
bachelor's degree in business administration. He joined his family's 
shoe business in Hazleton and later moved to the Wilkes-Barre area to 
establish the Penn Footwear Company in Nanticoke.
  Mr. Davidowitz is a past chairman of the United Jewish Appeal and he 
remains active in the Jewish Federation and he is a trustee at the 
Jewish Community Center in Wilkes-Barre. He has served on the boards of 
Temple Israel, the Jewish Community Center, Fox Hill Country Club and 
Penn State University, Lehman Campus.
  Mr. and Mrs. Davidowitz were instrumental in the creation and 
dedication of many community projects including the United Hebrew 
Institute Art Room, the Davidowitz Lounge at the Jewish Community 
Center and the building

[[Page E1171]]

addition to the United Hebrew Institute in 1980.
  The Seligman J. Strauss Lodge of B'nai B'rith presented Mr. 
Davidowitz with its Community Service Award and the trustees of the 
Luzerne County Community College recognized his efforts as vice 
chairman of the building authority responsible for the construction of 
the Nanticoke campus.
  Mrs. Davidowitz serves on the board of the Jewish Community Center. 
She is a past board member of Temple Israel and Wilkes University and 
has held leadership roles at the Northeast Ethics Institute, Luzerne 
County Area Agency on Aging, King's College, Ballet Northeast, College 
Misericordia, Wyoming Seminary, John Heinz Institute, Penn State Lehman 
Campus, Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic, United Hebrew Institute 
and the Wyoming Valley Jewish Campaign, which she chaired in 1990.
  Mrs. Davidowitz is a member of the Klezmer Band, ``Freilox and 
Bagels,'' where she has played both the harp and the flute. She has 
served as the non-governmental representative to the United Nations for 
the National Council of Jewish Women and as a local representative to 
the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.
  Mrs. Davidowitz has received tributes from the Greater Wilkes-Barre 
Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, the National Council of Jewish 
Women, the Jewish Federation of Greater Wilkes-Barre and the Seligman 
J. Strauss Lodge of B'nai B'rith.
  Mr. and Mrs. Davidowitz are the parents of four sons, Jeffrey, Ivan, 
Steven and Benjamin. They now have nine grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating Mr. and Mrs. 
Davidowitz on this auspicious occasion. Their inexhaustible energy and 
devotion to family and community is an inspiration for all. Their 
volunteer service is an extraordinary example of how two people can 
make a huge difference in the quality of life in America.

                          ____________________