[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 49 (Monday, March 31, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN RECOGNITION OF AL STERN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 31, 2008

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Al Stern, 
a person who has dedicated his life to free speech and cultivating the 
seeds of Middle East peace and understanding in the Cleveland 
community. On March 27, 2008, Americans for Peace Now is honoring Al 
Stern for his lifelong commitment to peace in the Middle East and his 
dedication to ``Tikkun Olam,'' the healing of the world.
  After graduating from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science 
in Business Administration, Al Stern founded Stern and Company, a 
manufacturers' representative firm in 1962. During his 3 decades with 
the company, Mr. Stern became actively involved in the Middle East 
peace issues starting in 1974. He helped found the Cleveland chapter 
and serves as a national board member of Americans for Peace Now, the 
solidarity organization aligned with the Shalom Achshav movement in 
Israel. Shalom Achshav, founded in 1978 by Israeli citizens, was formed 
out of the conviction that Israel's democratic character and future 
security were intertwined with achieving a just and peaceful solution 
to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
  For over twenty years, Mr. Stern has engaged and educated the 
Cleveland community about the costs of the current conflict and the 
opportunities for peaceful solutions. Through organizing and 
discussion, he has led people to challenge their assumptions about how 
to humanize the opposition. In his many visits to the region, most 
recently in 2005, he has gotten to know the people and the leaders in 
Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and Gaza. He has led by 
example, through his own commitment to educating himself, reaching out 
to concerned members of the community and traveling to the region.
  Since his retirement in 1993, Al Stern became a full time volunteer 
with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio as its Legislative 
Coordinator. Since coming to Congress, I have been privileged to hear 
frequently from Al Stern on the many free speech and civil liberties 
issues about which I have had to make decisions. He has also worked 
closely with me in helping to build bridges across the gaps which 
divide people both in the Middle East and in Greater Cleveland.
  Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing Al Stern, 
who has been a leader in Cleveland, a peace-maker, and an inspiration 
for engaged, global citizenship.

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