[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 71 (Thursday, April 27, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E374]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        HONORING MR. ODED NORKIN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 27, 2023

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Oded Norkin, an 
extraordinary public servant who over the past year has provided 
extensive humanitarian assistance to the Country of Ukraine. When 
Russia began its illegal invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Mr. 
Norkin answered the call and selflessly dedicated his time to sourcing 
and delivering critical aid to the most vulnerable citizens of Ukraine. 
For Mr. Norkin, this was personal: his grandparents, Sara and Moshe 
Norkin, were killed in the streets of Odesa, Ukraine, in 1941, during 
the Holocaust. Mr. Norkin, who was born in Israel and served in the 
Israeli Army during the 1973 war before immigrating to the United 
States in 1978, has become a pillar of the community in Mid-Michigan. A 
man of action, he immediately looked for ways to help.
  Mr. Norkin, alongside the Greater Lansing Jewish Federation and 
concerned citizens across the State of Michigan and beyond, gathered 
donations for the people of Ukraine. Separate from his activism, Mr. 
Norkin serves as the Vice President of Michigan Flyer, a public-
transportation bus company. Because of this, he was able to translate 
his knowledge of the transportation industry into lifesaving help for 
the people of Ukraine. In the early days of the war, Mr. Norkin, 
together with a team of volunteers, helped evacuate elderly and infirm 
citizens of Odesa and Kharkiv to safety. Mr. Norkin and his team also 
secured five vehicles--four ambulances and one commercial vehicle--and 
necessary medical supplies and emergency equipment to be sent to 
Ukraine. The Greater Lansing Jewish Federation raised donations to 
cover the cost of an ambulance, defibrillators, and additional first 
aid supplies.
  The ambulances were refurbished, supplied with emergency equipment 
specific to conflict zones, and delivered to cities across Ukraine. Mr. 
Norkin transferred the first of these ambulances to Odesa in March 
2022. Within a month, a second and third ambulance were sent to Dnipro 
full of supplies to help aid vulnerable citizens. The fourth ambulance 
was later sent to Kyiv, and a commercial evacuation vehicle was sent to 
Chernivtsi.
  Mr. Norkin has galvanized support for the Ukrainian people across 
Michigan and beyond. He has partnered with civil society leaders in 
Israel and Romania who have supported his efforts and connected him 
with like-minded individuals who assisted in completing these missions.
  Mr. Norkin remains an important leader in his local community. Even 
while traveling abroad to deliver aid, he remains active in the 
Kehillat Israel Congregation and the Rotary International Service Club. 
Through these connections, Mr. Norkin continues to recruit, organize, 
and inspire others to join him in his mission to provide humanitarian 
assistance to the people of Ukraine.
  Mr. Oded Norkin continues to carry out this important work. He 
answers to a higher call to render assistance to those in greatest 
need, stands as a shining example and inspiration to all for his 
selfless efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of 
Ukraine, and will forever be remembered.

                          ____________________