[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 112 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H4665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1015
REMEMBERING JACK RUBIN
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness and a heavy
heart that I come to the floor this morning to commemorate the life of
a dear friend, Jack Rubin, who passed away last night at his home in
south Florida.
Jack was a Holocaust survivor, the only member of his family to
survive. He was liberated from Auschwitz in May of 1945, came to
America, and served in our United States Army.
Over the course of his life, Jack dedicated his time to raising
awareness about the horrors of the Holocaust and fighting for the needs
of survivors. Jack was a regular on Capitol Hill, meeting with Members
of Congress and testifying before Congress four times in 2007, 2008,
and twice in 2014.
On September 18, 2014, Jack testified before a subcommittee hearing,
which I chaired, about the struggles of recovering assets for Holocaust
survivors, and the struggle continues. At this important hearing, Jack
laid out all of the difficulties, all of the challenges that Holocaust
survivors are facing in America today, the continued struggle to find
the justice that has evaded most of them for over 70 years, and the
poverty, the lack of medical care, dental care, mental health care for
many survivors.
That is why my colleague, Ted Deutch, and I authored a resolution,
which already passed the House, urging the German Government to fully
fulfill its moral responsibility to Holocaust survivors and urgently
provide the financial resources necessary to ensure that survivors live
in dignity and comfort in their remaining years.
I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass this measure immediately
because this is about survivors getting all of their needs addressed
and getting them addressed immediately.
I offer my sincere condolences to Jack Rubin's widow, Shirley, and
their three children--Michael, David, and Lynn--and many grandchildren.
In the 2014 hearing, Mr. Speaker, Jack stated: We are losing more and
more survivors every day, and the ones remaining need our help now.
We will never forget you, Jack Rubin. We must honor Jack's legacy,
Mr. Speaker, by continuing to pursue justice for all Holocaust
survivors.
Anniversaries of the Iran Deal and the AMIA Attack
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, this Thursday marks the 1-year
anniversary since the administration and the rest of the P5+1 nations
signed the weak and dangerous Iran nuclear deal. One year later, and
Iran continues its push for ballistic missiles, and we are seeing
reports from Germany's intelligence services that Iran's proliferation
activities have not stopped, that the regime has increased its efforts
to advance its chemical and biological warfare capabilities as well as
its nuclear weapons program.
This week, the House will bring to the floor various bills that would
amplify sanctions against Iran. We must ensure that Iran is held
accountable for its terror activities and that individuals engaged in
such activities are brought to justice.
Monday marks the 22nd anniversary of the attack against the
Argentinian Jewish Community Center called AMIA in Buenos Aires,
Argentina. Iran and its proxy Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist
organization, were behind this heinous and cowardly attack which killed
over 80 people and injured hundreds more.
Unfortunately, thanks to this weak nuclear deal, some of Iran's most
notorious criminals will see sanctions against them lifted, including
several individuals responsible for the AMIA bombings. One, General
Vahidi, for example. He is a former Quds commander, a former Iranian
defense minister, and he has been wanted by INTERPOL since 2007 for his
direct role in the AMIA attack.
Guess what? His name was one of the ones included in this Iran deal
for sanctions to be lifted.
Is that justice, Mr. Speaker?
Last year, the special prosecutor on the AMIA and my dear friend,
Alberto Nisman, was killed in his home in Buenos Aires. I urge the
Argentine authorities to do everything in their power to continue to
properly and thoroughly investigate his death so that those responsible
can be brought to justice.
The AMIA attack serves as just one reminder of the many threats from
Iran and its nefarious proxies that endanger our national security, the
Middle East, and our ally, the Democratic Jewish State of Israel.
As we mark the 1-year anniversary of this horrible nuclear deal and
commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the AMIA attack, we must redouble
our efforts and commitments to hold Iran and all of its cohorts fully
accountable.
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