[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 162 (Thursday, December 9, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           EXTENDING CONDOLENCES TO VICTIMS OF FIRE IN ISRAEL

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2010

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I join my 
colleagues in mourning the devastating losses Israel suffered in the 
Carmel fire. It is a human tragedy and an environmental tragedy.
  As we pay tribute to those who gave their lives in an effort to save 
others, we can at least find comfort in the wave of international 
support and assistance that enabled Israel to extinguish the massive 
fire within days. The United State is proud to have a played a leading 
role in these efforts by procuring and delivering the massive 
quantities of firefighting materials that were used in multiple sorties 
over the affected areas.
  We rallied to Israel's side because she is a close ally and friend. 
And so many other countries eagerly responded as well because, quite 
frankly--Israel is among the first to offer aid when others are in 
need.
  After earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, Colombia, Turkey, China, Pakistan 
and Iran, Israelis were among the first to join the rescue missions or 
send supplies. They have helped Cyprus and Greece in battling forest 
fires and provided aid in the aftermath of Central American floods, 
Asian typhoons, and the tragic 2004 tsunami. An Israeli team arrived in 
Louisiana shortly after our own Hurricane Katrina.
  Sadly, one casualty of the Carmel fire is Yemin Orde, a youth village 
founded in 1953 to accommodate orphans who immigrated to Israel after 
the Holocaust. Today, the campus is home to more than 500 children from 
ages 9 to 19 that have been resettled from Russia, Ethiopia, and 
elsewhere where they lived in orphanages, had no family to care for 
them, or experienced traumatic life events. While the children and 
staff were safely evacuated as the fire broke out, more than 40 percent 
of the village's facilities were destroyed by the flames and many 
children had to relive the trauma of being suddenly uprooted from their 
familiar world. I have been to Yemin Orde. I share their sorrow and 
their conviction to ensure that these vulnerable children and the 
school's vital mission continue to be cared for now and in the future.
  U.S. teams are already on the ground working with Israeli experts to 
stabilize the area and make sure that the forest can be successfully 
replanted. Today, communities across the United States are mobilizing 
through the Jewish National Fund and other organizations to help Israel 
preserve, replant and restore. The blue box of the JNF was a permanent 
feature in my parents' home, collecting coins to plant trees in the 
budding state of Israel and its mission continues in earnest. With 
partnership and determination we can look forward to a day when the 
Carmel forest will flourish again.
  As Israelis survey the devastation in Carmel, they can take solace 
that they were not alone at a time of crisis and that they will not be 
alone in the rebuilding effort.

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