[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 115 (Monday, July 14, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1446]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN REMEMBRANCE OF AL STERN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 14, 2008

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Al Stern, 
a man who lived his life by the principal of Tikkun Olam, the healing 
of the world. He dedicated himself to the cause of free speech and to 
cultivating the seeds of Middle East peace and understanding in the 
Cleveland community.
   The roots of his activism began during the Civil Rights Era, when he 
marched along side Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was an activist for 
the Congress on Racial Equality, the Committee for Sane Nuclear Policy, 
and was an activist against the Vietnam War and for women's 
reproductive rights. In 1974 when helped found the Cleveland chapter of 
Americans for Peace Now, a solidarity organization aligned with the 
Shalom Achshav movement in Israel 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.
   Al Stern advocated for mutual understanding and a two state solution 
long before it was widely accepted. For twenty years he engaged with 
and educated the Cleveland community about the costs of the current 
conflict and the opportunities for peaceful solutions. His work took 
him all over the world, where he met with the people and leaders in 
Israel, Syria, Egypt and Gaza. He led by example through his own 
commitment to educating himself and reaching out to concerned members 
of the community.
   After stepping down from his position on the board of Americans for 
Peace Now in 1993, he became a full time volunteer for the American 
Civil Liberties Union. I have had the privilege of hearing Mr. Stern 
speak on free speech and civil liberties issues. He and I have worked 
closely together in an effort to build bridges across the gaps that 
divide people in the Middle East and in Cleveland.
   Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in remembrance of Al 
Stern, who has served as an inspiration for engaged, global 
citizenship. May his legacy of advocating for civil liberties and 
cultivating Middle East Peace be an example for all of us to follow.

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