[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 181 (Thursday, November 15, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7043-S7044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING CECIL AND DAVID ROSENTHAL

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to Cecil Rosenthal 
and David Rosenthal. Cecil and David, who were brothers, were 2 of the 
11 people who were violently killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 
Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
  John-Jacques Rousseau once said, ``The person who has lived the most 
is not the one with the most years but the one with the richest 
experiences.'' By that standard, Cecil and David Rosenthal lived more 
than almost anyone to grace this earth. They were inseparable from each 
other and from the Tree of Life Synagogue. Born with intellectual 
disabilities, they lived together in a community home run by ACHEIVA, 
an organization that assists people with disabilities, and were beloved 
throughout their community. Their strengths complemented each other, 
and they looked out for each other.
  Cecil, the more outgoing of the brothers, was known as the unofficial 
mayor of Squirrel Hill. He was a greeter at the Tree of Life Synagogue 
and active in the Best Buddies program that pairs college students with 
people with disabilities. David was more reserved, yet delighted 
everyone with his keen sense of humor. It was fitting that he became a 
custodian, as he had a passion for keeping things clean and

[[Page S7044]]

a passion for law enforcement. Both have been made honorary Pittsburgh 
firefighters in honor of their contributions to the community.
  David Rosenthal and Cecil Rosenthal embraced life and, in turn, were 
embraced by it. They never let any limitations hinder them, which is 
how and why they touched countless lives. Robert F. Kennedy once talked 
about how, through our actions, we send out ripples of hope and that 
those ripples come together and make a larger collective difference. 
Every person who knew Cecil and David are a ripple of hope and through 
each of these ripples, their love of life, their contributions to their 
community, and their life of inclusion will live on and continue to 
positively impact the Squirrel Hill community, the city of Pittsburgh, 
and beyond.

                          ____________________