[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 8, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO RITA AND JACK SINDER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 8, 2008

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to two dear friends, 
Rita and Jack Sinder, who are being honored by Valley Beth Shalom's 
60th Birthday of the State of Israel Dinner Celebration. They are being 
recognized for their lifetime of commitment to Israel, the Jewish 
people, and Valley Beth Shalom (VBS).
  In 1967, Rita and Jack made their first trip to Israel just prior to 
the Six-Day War. The outbreak of hostilities forced their early 
departure on the eve of the war. The impact of their experience 
motivated them to mobilize the American Jewish community on Israel's 
behalf.
  Their dedication to Israel, however, began long before the State of 
Israel was created.
  Born in Vienna, Rita was immersed in Judaism as a young child. During 
WWII, when Hitler invaded Austria, Rita's father was shipped to Poland. 
He fortunately escaped and her mother managed to get herself and her 
daughters out of Austria. Rita was sent to London on Kindertransport 
and was not reunited with her family until the war ended. The 
determination, positive attitude, tremendous resilience, and 
adaptability that helped her survive still guide her life today. Rita's 
family was miraculously reunited in America, settling in Los Angeles 
where Rita attended Belmont High School and graduated from USC with a 
degree in Business Administration.
  Jack, raised in the Orthodox tradition by his father, a prominent 
Rabbi in Michigan, earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from 
Michigan State. He worked for a machine tool company that supplied 
parts to the big three automakers. He was asked by an associate to help 
send machine tools to the Jewish fighters in Israel, and together with 
his friends, he shipped tools which ultimately helped in the creation 
of the Israeli aircraft industry and the Israeli Air Force.
  Rita and Jack have been an integral force in the Jewish Community, 
living up to the motto, ``Give of yourself first and only then ask 
others to join you.'' They have generously contributed their time and 
resources to VBS, the Jewish Federation, Israel Bonds, AIPAC and many 
other worthy organizations. They endowed the Midrasha Program at the 
VBS, where Jack formerly was a member of the Board of Directors and 
currently serves on the Board of Trustees and the Steering Committee. 
Rita has chaired many special events at VBS. She is past president of 
the San Fernando Valley Women's Division of Israel Bonds and the Golda 
Meir Club, an active member of AIPAC serving on its National Executive 
Board, and is past president and member of the Executive Board of the 
Women's Alliance of Israel. Rita and Jack are founding members of the 
American Jewish University's Wagner Program, university patrons and 
also patrons of the Wiesenthal Center.
  Rita and Jack work together in their business, Jasin Co., he as a 
real estate developer and she as a real estate broker and property 
manager. They are the proud parents of Sherri and Alan and adore their 
three grandchildren. Rita and Jack's greatest joys are being with 
family and friends, boating and traveling.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Rita and Jack Sinder who 
have devoted their lives to working for the survival of the Jewish 
people and the State of Israel.

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