[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 51 (Thursday, March 26, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S2036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DAVID MITZNER

 Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, our Nation was founded on an idea--an 
idea that every person has the right to freely speak, live, worship, 
work, and build flourishing lives for themselves and their families. 
And today I want to recognize a man who embraces those liberties and 
whose witness is exceptional. For a century, Mr. Mitzner has been a 
warrior for freedom.
  David Mitzner was born to Jewish parents in Poland, and during World 
War II he lost his family to the Holocaust. He survived 8 long years in 
a Soviet gulag. A Russian officer told the men at the labor camp, 
``Here you're going to live, here you're going to die.'' David refused 
to accept that as his fate and fought to live. In 1949 he defied his 
captors and escaped the iron grip of communism to come to the United 
States.
  He arrived in New York with just $17 in his pocket. He didn't know 
English and didn't have any relatives to rely upon. He got his first 
job working for a hosiery manufacturer and today he is one of world's 
most successful private real estate investors whose projects span from 
Texas to Poland.
  He works with the same vigor, energy, and gratitude as he did when he 
stepped onto American soil 66 years ago. And at 100 years old, Mr. 
Mitzner still goes into the office to make sure his company continues 
to operate with uncompromising integrity and excellence. He has 
pioneered development in cities across the world, and particularly in 
Warsaw, his childhood home, which was nearly destroyed by communism. 
His fellow investors said it couldn't be done but he proved them wrong.
  As he often says, there are miracles all around us. David's life is a 
miracle and it is one that continues to overflow into all those who are 
blessed to know him.
  In closing, I want to recount a brief anecdote from the Passover 
Seder, which I had the privilege of celebration with David and the 
extended Mitzner family last year. It was very close to his 99th 
birthday, and I remember him saying, ``99 is nothing. When I turn 100, 
that will be something.'' David, you are now 100, and it is indeed 
something. Happy birthday, friend, and thank you for the legacy you 
have built, not merely on bricks and mortar, but on upon your fortitude 
and your faith.

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