[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 9, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF MRS. HERTA ADLER

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                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 9, 2010

  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. 
Herta Adler, known to Memphians as the ``matriarch of the local Jewish 
community.'' She was born to Mr. and Mrs. Adolf and Mathilde Arfeld on 
September 27, 1915 in Diez, Germany.
  Mrs. Adler was 24 when she witnessed the burning of her synagogue on 
Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass. On this night, dozens of Jews 
were killed and sent to concentration camps, including many of Mrs. 
Adler's friends and family. In 1948, Mrs. Adler was able to move to 
Lisbon, Portugal where her brother was in business, because the 
government granted residency to family members of established 
residents.
  From Portugal, Mrs. Adler made her way to New York City, where she 
met her husband, Dr. Justin H. Adler. They married in 1943 and 
relocated to Memphis not long after. The two were known as avid 
collectors of art and Judaica. Mrs. Adler, in particular, was known as 
a philanthropist who supported all kinds of artistic and cultural 
organizations, reminding others that ``charity is the fist that we give 
for having a good life.'' In the early 1990s, the Adlers donated a 
large collection of Jewish ritual art to Temple Israel, which is 
located in Memphis, TN, helping to create the only Judaica museum in 
the region. In 1992, the Adlers also contributed their extensive pewter 
collection, which spans 400 years, to Dixon Gallery and Gardens where 
it is part of the permanent collection.
  In addition to her passion and appreciation for art, Mrs. Adler was 
known for her interest in the people around her. She befriended and 
supported several young Memphis artists and centered much of her life 
on Temple Israel, where she was a member for more than 60 years. Mrs. 
Adler and her husband were also founders of Beth Sholom Synagogue, a 
Conservative Synagogue in the Memphis region.
  Mrs. Herta Adler passed away on Friday, February 12, 2010 and was 
laid to rest on Monday, February 15, 2010. She was 94 years old. She is 
survived by her daughters Hedda A. Schwartz, a residential and 
commercial real estate executive, Susan Adler Thorp, a respected 
journalist, and her son Michael Adler, an accomplished attorney--all of 
Memphis. I will always remember Mrs. Adler for her devotion to shaping 
the cultural and Jewish life of Memphis, Tennessee.

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