[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 21 (Thursday, February 10, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING EVA LASSMAN

                                  _____
                                 

                      HON. CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 10, 2011

  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS.  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and 
commemorate the life of Eva Lassman. As a resident of Spokane, 
Washington for over sixty years, Eva raised three sons in her inspiring 
likeness. However, Eva's life story was forever altered far before 
coming to Eastern Washington.
  Eva Lassman was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Lodz, Poland, 
in 1919. Following Nazi invasion of Poland, at 20 years old, Eva and 
hundreds of thousands of Jews were confined in the infamous Warsaw 
ghetto and later moved to the Majdanek concentration camp. Overcoming 
unspeakable acts of horror--Eva survived for five years in Nazi 
ghettoes and camps before being liberated by Allied Forces in the 
Spring of 1945. Like far too many Jewish families, nearly all of Eva's 
immediate and extended family were murdered in the Holocaust.
  Looking for a place to restart her life, Eva accepted the invitation 
and sponsorship of the Spokane Jewish community for resettlement in 
Spokane. Despite, initially not knowing English or having jobs, Eva and 
her husband Walter moved to Spokane where over the next 60 years they 
would become pillars of the Spokane community. Eva dedicated her entire 
adult life to what she often referred to as her obligation of 
survival--educating the world on the atrocities of the Holocaust and 
why it is so important to challenge hate wherever it may be.
  Eva told her story to thousands of elementary, junior high, high 
school, and college students throughout the Pacific Northwest. It has 
been said that, the exceptionality of Eva's experience is only 
paralleled by the exceptionality of her commitment to use that 
experience in making the world a better place. I could not agree more. 
To that end, Eva's life work is reflected in the countless awards and 
recognitions she received including the Carl Maxey Racial Justice Award 
and the inaugural Eva Lassman Award issued annually by Gonzaga 
University to honor an individual who has committed her or his life to 
challenging hate.
  As an active Letter to the Editor contributor, Eva's life and work 
inspired all those who heard her words to lead lives to reject hate and 
courageously combat evil. Of the 200,000 survivors of the Holocaust 
that were liberated in 1945, fewer and fewer are alive with each 
passing day.
  Mr. Speaker, Eva Lassman sadly passed away early this week and will 
be laid to rest tomorrow in Spokane, Washington. I urge all of my 
colleagues to honor Eva's legacy by continuing to spread her message of 
respect and tolerance.

                          ____________________