[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 28, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S7183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING BARNEY GOTTSTEIN

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today, as the Senate returns 
from recess, I wanted to speak in loving memory of Barney Gottstein, a 
patriarch of Alaska's Jewish community, who passed away on October 21 
at the age of 91. He was buried in the Anchorage Cemetery on October 
22, in accordance with Jewish burial traditions.
  I suspect that my colleagues might not be aware that Alaska is home 
to a thriving Jewish community or that the origins of that community 
preceded statehood by generations. One might be even more surprised to 
know that Barney was not the first generation of Gottsteins to occupy a 
leadership role in pre-Statehood Alaska, but the second generation. The 
Gottstein family is up to four generations of leadership, with a 
fifth--the great-grandchildren--now in place.
  The first generation, Barney's father, Jacob B. Gottstein, originally 
of Des Moines, IA, came to Anchorage in 1915, selling cigars and 
confections out of the tent city established to construct the Alaska 
Railroad. Jake, as he was known, then opened a wholesale grocery and 
dry goods business, known as J.B. Gottstein & Co., which made sales 
calls by dog sled. You can't get more Alaskan than that. Jake passed 
away in 1963.
  Barney was born in Des Moines in 1925, but soon moved to Anchorage, 
population 2,500, where he was raised. He enlisted in the Army and 
served in the Army Air Corps. After the war, Barney went to the 
University of Washington studying to be an aeronautical engineer. That 
didn't work out so well. He was told by a counselor that anti-Semitism 
would likely prevent Barney from getting a job in his chosen field, so 
he switched to business and economics and came home to work in the 
family business, but he didn't abandon his love for flying. Barney was 
a licensed private pilot who loved to fly around Alaska and beyond.
  By the time Barney returned home, the family business was growing as 
fast as the state. The focus had changed from dry goods to wholesale 
groceries. Barney took it the next step. One of J.B. Gottstein's 
customers was the Carr Brothers Grocery. The rest is history.
  Barney partnered with Larry Carr to grow the retail grocery business 
and pursue real estate ventures. Carr's Quality Centers sprung up 
throughout Alaska, along with an associated chain of Eagle markets. By 
the late 1980s, the Carr-Gottstein group of companies was the largest 
Alaska-owned business in the State. Barney and Larry sold the grocery 
side of the business in 1990 but remained in the real estate business. 
Today, the Carr's name remains on grocery stores in Anchorage, Eagle 
River, and the Mat-Su Valley.
  In 1989, Barney was inducted into the Alaska Business Hall of Fame, 
and in 1991, he was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by the 
University of Alaska Fairbanks.
  Barney's business success in Alaska was deeply respected, but his 
community engagement even more so. He was chair of the Alaska Board of 
Education and provided financial assistance that enabled hundreds of 
Alaska Natives to pursue schooling. He was an inaugural member of the 
Alaska State Commission on Human Rights as well.
  Barney was active in Alaska's political life as well. He was chairman 
of the Alaska Democratic Party, Alaska's Democratic National 
Committeeman, and an Alaska delegate to the Democratic National 
Conventions.
  I mentioned that Barney was one of the patriarchs of Alaska's Jewish 
community. An early supporter of the State of Israel, he was the face 
of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, in Alaska for 
many years. Today, Barney's son, David, leads the AIPAC group in Alaska 
and in that capacity is a frequent visitor to my office. He provided 
financial support to enable young Jewish Alaskans to participate in the 
``March of the Living,'' so that they might better understand the 
legacy of the Holocaust. He visited Israel on many occasions and took 
on the cause of supporting Ethiopian Jews who had made Aliyah to Israel 
integrate into society and pursue advanced degrees.
  Barney was not only a father figure to the Alaska Jewish community. 
He was the patriarch of a large family himself. Barney is survived by 
Rachel, his second wife, of 32 years, who not surprisingly he met on a 
trip to Israel. Barney was father to seven children. Some of Barney's 
children have followed in their father's footsteps to achieve positions 
of great respect and prominence in Alaska. I am proud to count Robert, 
David, and Jim among my friends. A fourth generation of the Gottstein 
family, the grandchildren, are just beginning to make their mark, and 
there are great-grandchildren behind them.
  On behalf of my Senate colleagues, I proudly pay my respects to 
Barney Gottstein and his wonderful family. May his memory be a 
blessing.

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