[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 87 (Thursday, June 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NAAMA SHAFIR: RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION LIVES ON

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                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2011

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, during World War II, Jews were forced 
to wear the yellow star of David as a symbol of hatred and scorn.
  The Jewish people experienced hatred in many forms during the 
Holocaust, most notably the murder of 4.9 to 6.0 million citizens.
  Have we moved past this backward way of thinking? No!
  Twenty-one-year-old Naama Shafir is a junior guard for the woman's 
basketball team at the University of Toledo. This April, she led her 
team to victory in the Women's National Invitation Tournament 
championship with a career-high 40 points and was named tournament MVP.
  She continues to excel, and has qualified to compete in the European 
championship as part of the Israeli women's national basketball team.
  However, because Naama wears a t-shirt under her jersey in order to 
comply with the modesty standards expected of Orthodox Jews, she will 
not be allowed to compete in the European championship.
  Tens of thousands of soldiers died during World War II trying to 
overcome this terrible prejudice, yet Naama still endures that same 
prejudice that her ancestors were faced with during the war.
  And that's just the way it is.

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