[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 184 (Wednesday, November 30, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING JACK MANGURTEN'S 100TH BIRTHDAY

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                      HON. BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 30, 2022

  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jack 
Mangurten, a beloved member of our community on the occasion of his 
100th birthday, which he will celebrate on December 10th. Jack is a 
Holocaust Survivor, surviving four Nazi extermination camps, and, 
importantly, is the father of three children, seven grandchildren and 
sixteen great-grandchildren.
  Mr. Mangurten, known affectionately as ``Papa Jack'' by his family, 
was born to Baruch and Bashah in Lagov, Poland in 1922. He had five 
siblings: Sarah, Melvin, Mordechai, Samuel and Barrel Tragically, his 
father was murdered in 1935 and his mother was forced to move the 
family to Keltz, where they struggled to make ends meet,
  In 1939, the Nazi German regime invaded Poland and World War II broke 
out in Europe. Over the next six years, Jack would live through the 
greatest crime against humanity--the Shoah, or Holocaust. Hitler's 
death machine killed more than 11 million people, including 6 million 
Jews. Jack's brother Melvin had left Poland for America before the war, 
but tragically, none of his other relatives survived the Shoah.
  Young Jack was transited to four different concentration camps 
throughout the war: Skarzysko, Bukenwald, Schlieben, and ultimately 
Terezin, or Theresienstadt. On May 9, 1945, Jack and 30,000 surviving 
prisoners at Terezin were liberated by the Soviet army.
  Soon thereafter, Jack found himself at a displaced person's camp 
after the war. It was at this camp that he met the love of his life, 
Lily, to whom he was married for 72 years.
  Jack was able to move to the United States thanks to a sponsorship by 
relatives in Chicago, including his brother Melvin. Despite not knowing 
English and arriving penniless, he and his wife built a wonderful life 
and raised a lovely family. Jack worked as a tailor, ultimately opening 
his own shop on Touhy and Ridge in Chicago where he worked for 40 
years.
  Jack is an active member of Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook. 
As a Kohan, he is honored to be called to the Torah for the first 
blessing every Rosh Hashanah.
  To this day, Jack enjoys keeping up with current events, especially 
news out of Israel, and spending time with his three children and their 
spouses (Barbara and Michael Zaransky, Shel and Nancy Mangurten, Irv 
and Linda Mangurten), grandchildren (Brad married to Jamie, Karen 
married to Michael, Erin married to Vince, Gayle married to Matt, 
Lindsay married to Eric, Lisa married to Daniel, and Lauren married to 
Corey) and great-grandchildren (Livia, Sidney, Maggie, Jude, Eli, Theo, 
Estee, Bernie, Simon, Owen, Leah, Cameron, Colby, Chance, Lily and 
Saide).
  The Tenth District of Illinois, and the entire Nation are proud to 
wish Jack a Happy 100th Birthday. And it is my great honor and 
privilege to celebrate his life and his family, and to recognize his 
amazing life story.

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