[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 44 (Friday, March 14, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E431-E432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE SERVICE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF JACOB STEIN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 14, 2008

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to seek Congressional 
recognition of the lifetime of achievements of Jacob Stein. During his 
distinguished career, Jacob, or Jack as his friends refer to him, has 
made a lasting impact on his community and our Nation. As a public, 
religious, civic and moral leader, his lifetime of achievement deserves 
both recognition and our appreciation.
  In 1938, Jack Stein graduated from Columbia University and embarked 
on a successful career as a licensed real estate broker, a member of 
the Long Island Board of Realtors, and an active developer of 
residential and commercial properties. He also served on the board of 
directors of KeyCorp Bank for 25 years. However, the true hallmark of 
his life's work is his unswerving devotion to service, to his family, 
his community and to his country.
  Jack has been an indispensable leader in local, national and 
international Jewish circles. A Holocaust survivor himself, Jack helped 
found the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County. He 
is a director of the International Synagogue at John F. Kennedy 
International Airport, and is a member of the board of directors of the 
Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation. He also served as the president of Temple 
Israel of Great Neck from 1957-1960, president of the United Synagogue 
of Conservative Judaism from 1969-1973, chairman of the Conference of 
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations from 1971-1973, and 
helped author ``Emet V'Emunah,'' the Jewish Theological Seminary's 
statement of principles of Conservative Judaism in 1988.
  Jack has also made his presence felt in other religious communities. 
He presently sits on the board of the International Jewish Committee on 
Interreligious Consultations. In the 1980s, Jack worked closely with 
Rabbi Mordecai Waxman during his meetings with Pope John Paul II in 
Miami discussing Jewish Catholic relations. Jack was also involved in 
the communications with the Second Vatican Council that produced the 
1965 ``Nostra Aetate,'' the Declaration on the Relation of the Church 
with Non-Christian Religions. At the

[[Page E432]]

age of 92, Jack remains active in the promotion of mutual understanding 
and appreciation between the Christian and Jewish communities and 
recognition of their shared roots.
  Additionally, Jack made exceptional contributions to public service. 
He served as a Special Advisor in the White House under President 
Ronald Reagan, a member of the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations, 
and a delegate to the Human Rights Commission. Secretary of Defense 
Caspar Weinberger appointed him to the Defense Department's Policy 
Advisory Committee on Trade, on which he served for 7 years. Mr. Stein 
also was a member of the Presidential Task Force on International 
Private Enterprise in 1984, and he was appointed to a committee that 
oversaw the first elections in Namibia. As a long time friend, he 
remains in regular communications with President George H. W. Bush.
  Remarkably, among all this activity, Jacob found time to dedicate to 
the academic world as well. He served as a member of the Stony Brook 
University Foundation, has given numerous lectures across the country 
and has authored many articles on religion and politics.
  Perhaps most of all, Jack has always been a family man. He and his 
late wife Jean were married for 65 years and throughout all his public 
endeavors, they remained inseparable. Jack has had the pleasure of 
watching their three children grow and find success of their own, and 
has been blessed with six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
  In 2007, he published a recording of his memoirs ``Days of Challenge: 
The Making of a Modern American Jewish Leader,'' detailing his 
interesting and exciting lifetime of service. Currently, Jack writes a 
column for several weekly newspapers, sits on the board of the American 
Jewish Historical Society, and is a member of the board of the Town of 
North Hempstead Business and Tourism Development Corporation.
  Madam Speaker, Jacob Stein's immeasurable contributions to public and 
community service have truly helped make this world a better one in 
which to live. I ask that all of my colleagues now rise and join me to 
express the thanks of a grateful Nation to Jack Stein for his many 
years of dedicated service and for his countless achievements.

                          ____________________