[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 156 (Thursday, December 2, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CALLING FOR DIGNITY, COMFORT, AND SUPPORT FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 30, 2010

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent 
Resolution 323, and I thank Representatives Wasserman Schultz and Wolf 
for introducing this important measure. I have long advocated for 
providing resources to help our senior citizens age in their own homes 
with dignity, comfort, and security. That is why I worked hard to 
create and fund the Community Innovations for Aging in Place program at 
the Department of Health and Human Services. This initiative assists 
millions of older adults throughout the country get the services they 
need to live at home.
  H. Con. Res. 323 brings attention to a special population of older 
Americans to whom aging in place is especially important. All of the 
approximately 127,000 Holocaust survivors living in the United States 
are at least 65 years old, and they are five times more likely than 
other older Americans to live below the poverty line. These individuals 
often have experienced unimaginable violence, torture, and systematic 
extermination in concentration camps. For them, the prospect of living 
in an institutional setting may be particularly frightening. We have a 
moral obligation to help the remaining Holocaust survivors live out 
their lives safely and comfortably in their own homes and local 
communities. I urge support for this resolution, and I look forward to 
working with my colleagues to ensure that Holocaust survivors have the 
social services they need and deserve.

                          ____________________