[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 24, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO HARRY EISEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 24, 2012

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to a 
dear friend of mine, Harry Eisen. Harry passed away on Thursday, July 
19, 2012 in Norco, California. A Holocaust survivor and longtime 
businessman in Norco, he was a pillar of the community and will be 
deeply missed.
  Harry was born in May 1917 in Izbica Kujawska, Poland, the son of 
Yechezkel and Mindel Eisen. His entrepreneurial spirit emerged at the 
age of 15, when he and a partner ran a meat production plant in Warsaw. 
He was conscripted as an officer in the Polish cavalry in September 
1939 and served honorably as an officer, but was captured by the Nazis 
in World War II. He worked in a labor camp coal mine before his 
transfer to the Auschwitz death camp in 1942.
  Harry's experiences as a prisoner at Auschwitz were nothing short of 
horrifying. Harry and his wife Hilda, a Jewish classmate hailing from 
the same village in Poland, seldom spoke of their imprisonment, but 
following the opening of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, 
D.C. and the growing number of Holocaust deniers, they felt it was 
their duty to tell their story. Harry described the Holocaust as 
``going through hell.'' Every day he saw men, women and children die of 
starvation and other atrocities committed by Nazi soldiers, and he 
marched with other prisoners through the woods with rags instead of 
shoes. Thankfully, he managed to escape as Nazis set fire to the camp 
in 1944, but not without a reminder of his time there: a tattoo of his 
prisoner number on his left arm.
  After fleeing to the United States in 1948, the Eisens established 
themselves in Los Angeles despite being penniless and unable to speak 
English. Harry began working in a butcher shop to save money and 
purchased his first 100 chickens in Arcadia. He was often seen riding 
his bicycle around the city selling eggs. Eventually he outgrew the 
facility in Los Angeles and moved his wife and four children to Norco 
to establish Norco Egg Ranch, employing over 400 people and owning 
millions of chickens. It eventually became a major supplier of eggs in 
North America. Harry sold his business in 2000 to Land-o-Lakes, but 
continued to work as a consultant while managing his properties in 
California, Arizona, and Nevada.
  According to his daughter Mary Cramer, Harry often said, ``There is 
no place like America.'' His strength in the face of adversity and his 
modesty serve as an inspiration to those who believe in the value of 
hard work and determination. Harry's incredible success from humble 
beginnings and overcoming the horrors of Nazi occupation is the 
personification of the American Dream. Harry is survived by his wife of 
over 60 years Hilda, four children, and eight grandchildren.
  Harry will always be remembered for his incredible work ethic, 
generosity, contributions to the community and love of family. His 
dedication to his family, work and community is a testament to a life 
lived well and a legacy that will continue. I extend my condolences to 
Harry's family and friends; although Harry may be gone, the light and 
goodness he brought to the world remain and will never be forgotten.

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