[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 6, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H497-H498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING FRED ZEILBERGER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentleman from New York (Mr. D'Esposito) is 
recognized for the remainder of the hour as the designee of the 
majority leader.
  Mr. D'ESPOSITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an incredible 
man

[[Page H498]]

and Fourth District neighbor, Fred Zeilberger.
  Mr. Zeilberger is a Holocaust survivor, Korean war veteran, dedicated 
husband, proud father, and an American whose life is a testament to the 
power of perseverance.
  Born in 1929 in Wurzburg, Germany, Fred faced extreme hardship at the 
hands of Nazi forces, who forced him into a camp in Latvia and later 
the Stutthof concentration camp in Poland, where he was eventually 
liberated.
  While Fred survived, the evil Nazi war machine murdered his mother 
and sister. Fred's father also died shortly after being liberated from 
the Buchenwald concentration camp.
  After surviving the horrors of World War II, Fred emigrated to the 
United States of America in 1947 in search of new opportunities. A few 
years later, in 1951, Fred donned the uniform of his adopted country 
after being drafted into the United States Army during the Korean war, 
where he served as a butcher.
  Fred's tenure in the Army was followed by a lengthy career in the 
wholesale meat industry, where he established his own business in 1956. 
This proud businessowner chose to make his home in Cedarhurst, 
alongside his wife, Elaine, and three children, Jenna, Rachel, and 
Zane.
  Fred has long been an important part of the village of Cedarhurst 
community and locales far beyond. His ongoing service as a Holocaust 
educator provides younger generations an important witness to the 
atrocities that occurred during that dark time in human history.
  I am immensely grateful for Fred's life of service, the sacrifices he 
made in defense of this Nation, and his lifelong commitment to never 
forgetting the Shoa.
  In that vein, I was happy to see Fred recognized during this year's 
Holocaust Remembrance Day service in Nassau County by County Executive 
Bruce Blakeman, where attendees were able to learn of his story and 
struggle.
  Fred Zeilberger has culturally enriched the communities that comprise 
New York's Fourth Congressional District, and I am grateful to call him 
a Nassau County neighbor.
  I thank Mr. Zeilberger for his work and his dedication to the truth, 
to his family, to history, and to this country.


                         Honoring Bob Beckwith

  Mr. D'ESPOSITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today on a sad occasion to 
honor the life of a dedicated family man, committed first responder, 
and proud American who passed away this past Sunday, Bob Beckwith, of 
Baldwin, New York, a resident of the Fourth Congressional District.
  Bob Beckwith had a storied career serving the people of New York City 
as an FDNY firefighter. Bob joined the FDNY in 1965 and was assigned to 
Ladder 117 in Astoria, Queens, before transferring to Ladder 164 in 
Douglaston, where he served until his retirement in 1994.
  During Bob's 29-year tenure in the FDNY, he faithfully protected the 
people of the city of New York, but in the aftermath of the September 
11 attacks, Bob became more than just a hero for New York. He became a 
national symbol of American resilience.
  Even though Bob was retired, he made his way to Ground Zero after the 
attacks to help search for survivors. While there, he stood shoulder to 
shoulder with President George Bush when the President delivered his 
famous ``I can hear you'' speech that rallied a Nation in mourning.
  You see, Bob handed over a megaphone so that the people at Ground 
Zero could hear the President, but little did he know that that 
megaphone would allow the people across the world to hear the President 
that day.
  His presence alongside President Bush demonstrated that, even in one 
of this country's darkest hours, there were still brave Americans 
giving it their all to rescue neighbors. The image of Bob standing atop 
the wreckage of Engine 76 will forever be etched into our Nation's 
history.
  The Nation heard President Bush's rousing speech on that day in 2001, 
but everyone watching also witnessed Bob Beckwith's quiet courage.
  While Bob left us last weekend, I know his spirit will live on in the 
lives of his 6 children, 10 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, the 
heroes of the FDNY, and every American who loves this country as much 
as Bob Beckwith did.
  Rest in peace to a Fourth Congressional District neighbor, a dear 
friend, an American hero, Bob Beckwith.
  My thoughts are with his widow, Barbara, and the entire Beckwith 
family during this difficult time.
  Mr. Beckwith, a final tip of the helmet to you.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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