[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 448-449]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                TRIBUTE TO ILSE KAHN AND SUHAILA NASSER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 1, 2000

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Ilse Kahn and 
Suhaila Nasser, who this year are receiving the Lifetime Commitment to 
Peace Award from the American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam 
Southern California Chapter. Ilse Kahn and Suhaila Nasser, who live in 
Southern California, have made their own outstanding contribution to 
the cause of peace and understanding in the Middle East. They embody 
the new spirit of reconciliation in the region.
  A survivor of the Holocaust, Mrs. Kahn has worked tirelessly to bring 
together Arab and Jewish children in an environment of peace and 
friendship. She was one of the founders of the Southern California 
chapter of Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam, the joint Palestinian/Jewish 
community in Israel. Mrs. Kahn has been active in the bilingual and 
bicultural nursery, kindergarten and primary school located in the 
community. Her efforts have helped a generation of Palestinian and 
Jewish children build strong ties and close relationships.
  As busy as she is with the Southern California chapter, Mrs. Kahn 
somehow finds the time to be involved with other special causes, 
including LA's Best, an enrichment program for school age children in 
Watts. She is also a member of the League of Women Voters.
  Suhaila Nasser, a Palestinian born in Jerusalem, immigrated to the 
United States in

[[Page 449]]

1961. Despite living far from her native region, she has immersed 
herself in the task of providing medical assistance to the Palestinian 
people. In 1988, after undergoing a mastectomy, Mrs. Nasser formed the 
Palestinian Children's Relief Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated 
to securing medical treatment for suffering children.
  Thanks to Mrs. Nasser's efforts, since 1990 more than 100 children 
have been brought to the United States for reconstructive surgery and 
specialized medical services. In addition, six teams of doctors from 
the United States, Italy, England, and Belgium have traveled to 
Jerusalem and the West Bank to operate on children.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Ilse Kahn and Suhaila 
Nasser, whose dedication to the plight of children living in the Middle 
East inspires us all. I salute them for their courage and commitment to 
a just cause.

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