[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 8] [Senate] [Pages 11536-11538] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]SURVIVOR'S TALMUD DEDICATION CEREMONY Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to share with my colleagues an historical event which took place at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, VA on May 22, 2001. The event memorializes a remarkable chapter in Army history that occurred after Word War II. The event was the dedication of the Survivor's Talmud Exhibit which was done in honor of a truly great man, Leonard Strelitz, by his close friends. The story of the Survivor's Talmud speaks to the strength and resolve of a very determined people of Jewish faith some 54 years ago; and, to the resourcefulness and caring of a handful of U.S. Army soldiers. Today, I place in the Congressional Record excerpts from the ceremony that convey the historical and spiritual splendidness of this extraordinary tale to include: the Invocation, by Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach; Remarks and Benediction by Major General Gaylord T. Gunhus, Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Army; and Remarks by Mr. Marvin Simon and Mr. Walter Segaloff, hosts of the evening's events. Due to Senate business on the day of the ceremony, I was not able to attend so I am also placing in the Record a copy of a letter I wrote to be read during the ceremony. As this magnificent exhibit tours throughout the country, I hope it will instill in younger generations the critical importance of preserving human rights, individual dignity, and freedom. It will remind future generations of the incomprehensible sacrifices of the World War II generation and their need to always remain alert to prevent a reoccurrence in the future. I ask unanimous consent to print the material to which I referred. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Remarks of Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman Mekor Hachaim, Source of All Life, Our God, Goodness' Guide, Dear and Distinguished Friends and Guests: We have gathered on a momentous occasion at this enchanting setting of the Chrysler Museum of Art, dedicated to civilization's creative celebration of life, mindful that our Norfolk and Hampton Roads are home to the military might for sacred freedom's sake of the world's sole superpower, allowing the human enterprise to flourish into a blessing. Here from whence our heroic sons and daughters sailed to brave history's harshest storm of World War II, we recall with lasting gratitude and devotion our proud nation's sacrificial contribution in blood and spirit to ending the threat to creation of the Nazi kingdom of death, with its genocidal destruction of a third of the Jewish people and untold suffering to humanity. I stand before you, profoundly awed, son of Polish Holocaust survivors who spent from 1947 to 1949 with my family in the Displaced Persons Camp of Wetzlar at Frankfurt, benefiting from a much appreciated reassuring embrace at a trying time of turmoil and transition. The printing for us of the Talmud on German soil facilitated by the U.S. Army, to save the Jewish soul, was an act of enduring love we shall always cherish. We knew that our miraculous physical perseverance was ultimately rooted in preserving our unique spiritual heritage that was Hitler's final target, seeking to eradicate from the planet Earth the essential Judeo-Christian values and ideals. Honoring our U.S. Army and government through affirming by special friends the blessed memory of beloved Leonard Strelitz with acquiring a full 19 volume edition of that legendary Babylonian Talmud publication is most appropriate indeed, along with this being the beginning of the traveling treasured exhibit sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society. Leonard's towering stature propelled him to rise to new heights of commitment, caring and compassion. A great American, the prophetic vision was fulfilled in him with both the lion and lamb dwelling in his big heart of a true leader with commanding presence. He singularly served the surviving remnant of his Jewish people as a tough lion, national chairman of the United Jewish Appeal aiding the embattled State of Israel, as well as a tender lamb in support of all worthy causes with the crown jewel of the Leonard R. Strelitz Diabetes Institutes at Eastern Virginia Medical School, placing personal success to serve the public agenda, most ably prodding others to follow suit, for none could refuse him. [[Page 11537]] To him, his dear wife Joyce who nourished and sustained him and the entire family, our heartfelt thanks. Leonard's inspiring legacy is forever intertwined with out tradition's best impulse and the noblest in our nation's character, shining testimony to his faith's abiding message to all of shalom's promise, purpose and peace. Let us say Amen. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, is President of the Hampton Roads Board of Rabbis and Chairman of the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. He was born in Kazakhstan in 1945.] ____ Speech and Benediction by Major General Gaylord T. Gunhus On behalf of the United States Army, it is with great pleasure that I accept this plaque. Thank you for this symbol, of your gracious recognition for the service our Army rendered to the Jewish community in post War Germany. It is an honor to be here today to acknowledge the events that led to the printing of the Survivors Army Talmud and to acknowledge the role United States Army leaders had in making the Talmud printing possible. Most Americans are unaware of the history and story, which we have heard and celebrate today. Europe in the mid 20th century, a site of the worst carnage and evil in the modern period, was freed at great cost--a cost few of us here were able to witness first hand. This Great War of liberation against the forces of totalitarianism, posed for the entire world, then and now, an open question. Can mankind find the goodness within the soul to defend against the impulses of tyranny and hatred? This is a question we must answer daily for ourselves, and for the sake of our children, the heirs of the future. It is with great pride in the values, which our nation represents, that I stand here today. This pride, which we share in common, is tempered by the knowledge of the sacrifice and courage of those, who in times past, gave their lives for our fondest hopes of liberty. We know that a free nation must rise above the simple pride bestowed by victory in war. A free nation, if it desires to be great, must be the servant of freedom and the defender of dignity for every man and woman. The Army of our nation in post war Europe, was then, and is today, more than a mighty physical force. Similarly, the printing of the Talmud in Post War Germany is more than simply the printing of books. The event for which we gather today to commemorate and honor, the restoration of the Jewish religious and cultural life in Germany after the defeat of Nazi forces, is the result of many individuals' labor and courage. Some of these leaders were men in uniform, some were not, some were religious leaders, some were not, but each was connected by a common commitment to turn back the tide of darkness that had spilled across the continent. For me, this event signifies the values and principles of our nation and the institution that I serve, the United States Army. It would be my hope that every citizen could witness this exhibit and read the history that helped bring back the light to those that may otherwise have lost hope. May the words of the Scriptures ever be heard, ``Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.'' On behalf of (Army Chief of Staff) General (Eric) Shinseki, and all the members of the Army, past and present, thank you for your gift of gratitude and this symbol of appreciation. Benediction As we conclude today's ceremony honoring the many participants, including the 3rd U.S. Army for bringing the light of the Torah to the victims of persecution, we are ever grateful, as Americans and men and women of faith, for the blessings of freedom and privilege of living in this great land. We ask, Lord, that you watch and protect our brave soldiers who stand guard over the nation throughout the world. May this magnificent Army Talmud Exhibit serve as a poignant reminder that Your Word, is the ``tree of life for those who grasp it, and all who upheld it are blessed. Its ways are pleasantness and all its paths are peace.'' And, as we read, in Proverbs (6:22-23) ``When you walk, it will lead you; When you lie down, it will watch over you; And when you are awake it will talk with you. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching a light.'' Let us, as people of God, work together to build a world free from intolerance and prejudice. All this we ask in Your name. Amen. ____ Excerpts From Remarks of Walter Segaloff Good Evening everyone. I am Walter Segaloff and I want to thank you for joining us for this very historic occasion. This evening is special for two reasons-- First, we deal with a forgotten chapter in our history, that is ``The Story of the Jewish--Displaced Persons--From 1945 thru 1949''--and the unique part that the United States Army played in that tragedy. Secondly, we honor Leonard Strelitz through the dedication of the Army Talmud Exhibit to him. Many of us knew Leonard as ``our leader'' or affectionately as ``the Don of the Southern Mafia.'' He was the one who energized so many of us, the one who solicited us, and by way of example through his and his brother Buddy's and their family's extraordinary level of giving set an example that we willingly and in many cases ``unwillingly'' followed. Most of the time we felt better about our giving, we felt prouder, for we knew we were making vital contributions to the birth of a nation and the gathering in of the remnants of the Holocaust--the displaced persons of Europe. I would like to recognize a number of people who are in the audience tonight for this occasion: TRADOC Chief of Chaplains, COL Douglas McLeroy and his wife, Dana; Dr. William Hennessey, Director of the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk; Dr. Michael Feldberg, Director of the American Jewish Historical Society in New York City; Dr. Arthur Kaplan, chairman, of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation and his wife Phyllis; Philip S. Rovner, Executive Director of the Tidewater Jewish Federation; Ms. Annabel Sacks, President United Jewish Federation of Tidewater; Mark Goldstein, Executive Vice President of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater; Rabbi Michael Panitz of Temple Israel who prepared a pamphlet on the Talmud that is available at the exhibit; Joel R. Rubin, President, Rubin Cawley and Associates; U.S. Senator John Warner. We are privileged to have with us a truly unique group of people who honor us with their presence--Local Holocaust Survivors: Esther Goldman; Alfred Dreyfus; David and Brinia Hendler; David Katz; Bronia Drucker; Hanns Loewenbach; Kitty and Abbott Saks; Aron Weintraub who lived in a DP camp after World War II in Germany. Tonight the Jewish Community in Hampton Roads Virginia representing Jewish people everywhere is pleased to dedicate an exhibit commemorating the decision by the United States Army 54 years ago. in post war Germany to print complete sets of the Babylonian Talmud for the survivors of the Holocaust. It was a remarkable humanitarian gesture and was evidence of the great spirit of our nation and its kindness to people who have been beset by human tragedy that defied comparison or imagination. Later in the program you will hear from Marvin Simon how this exhibit and program came about. In preparing this exhibit, Dr. Michael Feldberg from the American Jewish Historical Society expressed his enthusiasm for the project and noted: ``. . . I understand that Leonard's Hebrew name is R-YEA (aryon), which means lion, and that his family name Strelitz in Russian means steel. We would all agree Leonard was truly a man with a lion's heart and a will of steel. His leadership and personal example inspired countless others throughout the country--through them--through us--his work continues to this day. . . .'' A brief overview of the primary reason we are here tonight which is to thank the U.S. Army for their role . . . During these historic times. During 1945 and 1946, American Jewish organizations such as ORT and the Joint Distribution Committee lobbied to improve the Jewish DP's living conditions. At their urging, President Harry S Truman appointed the Harrison Commission to investigate the treatment of Jewish DP's. The commission reported, ``As matters now stand, we appear to be treating the Jews as the Nazis treated them except we do not exterminate them. They are in concentration camps in large numbers under our military guard instead of S.S. troops. One is led to wonder whether the German people, seeing this, are not supposing that we are following or at least condoning Nazi policy.'' Truman ordered General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of U.S. forces in Europe, to ``get these people out of camps and into decent housing until they can be repatriated or evacuated . . . I know you will agree with me that we have a particular responsibility toward these victims of persecution and tyranny who are in our zone . . . We have no better opportunity to demonstrate this than by the manner in which we ourselves actually treat the survivors remaining in Germany.'' Part of restoring their lives meant reinvigorating Judaism. Remember, along with humans, the Nazi's burned Jewish books, synagogues and schools. By 1945, not one complete set of the Talmud could be found in Europe. After Truman's memo to Eisenhower, conditions got much better followed by a high level mission of American Jewish leaders including Rabbi Stephen Wise who visited the camps in a show of support for the DPs and Rabbi Wise thanked the U.S. Army and General McNarnary when he said ``At its highest levels, the U.S. Army has become sincerely and deeply involved in the effort to make [[Page 11538]] camp life bearable, restoring freedom and dignity to the survivors of the Holocaust.'' The Army was showing the very best side of American humanitarianism in its handling of a civilian refugee situation, a task for which it was not trained. With the U.S. Army's encouragement, a ``Charter of Recognition'' was written. The U.S. Army was saying something that no other arm of any allied government was yet willing to say--that the Jewish DP's must be recognized as different. All other DP's could be repatriated to a homeland; only the Jews were without one. The difference could be remedied by a political decision beyond the Army's capability. But in the meantime, the Army would declare, in effect, that Palestine had to be recognized someday as the DP's homeland. Thus, the most important military arm of the United States was accepting the basic premises of the Zionist movement. How remarkable! I quote from part of Rabbi Herbert Friedman's book ``Roots of the Future''. He writes ``No matter which camp in Germany I visited, I kept hearing the name of Babenhausen. It became a symbol for restlessness, for the huge problem of being stuck in camps without a solution for the future. The question grew more persistent: ``When will we get to Palestine?'' About two months later, I was able to help supply an answer. David Ben-Gurion, chairman of the Jewish Agency, was in Paris, en route to Switzerland. He wanted to visit a refugee camp--not a model operation, but one in which he could see the true, rough fiber of DP life. I took him to Babenhausen. Ben Gurion was the clear and undisputed leader of the Jewish population of Palestine (about 600,000 at that time) and the leader of world Jewry's thrust toward a sovereign state. He was a fighter--the small, cocky, bantam rooster-- the charismatic, world famous symbol of the Zionist force. For the occasion, we utilized the camp's largest stable, with a small stage at one end and standing room for thousands of people. Ben-Gurion's presence did indeed produce an electric wave of excitement. So many DP's crowded in that it seemed almost all of the camp's 5,000 residents were pressed into that area. They knew that this dynamic, white-haired man was their link with a history they thought had forgotten them. For the first time, there were smiles inside the gates of Babenhausen, and then came the inevitable question--poignant, pleading, uncertain, wavering, but persistent: ``When, Mr. Ben-Gurion? When will we go to Palestine?'' As Ben-Gurion listened to those questions, he began to weep, the only time in my long relationship with him I saw that happen. The tears fell slowly. He spoke through them, quietly but firmly. I remember his words almost exactly: ``I come to you with empty pockets. I have no British entry certificates to give you. I can only tell you that you are not abandoned, you are not alone, you will not live endlessly in camps like this. All of you who wish to come to Palestine will be brought there as soon as is humanly possible. I bring you no certificates--only hope. Let us sing our national anthem--Hatikvah which means Hope.'' In that way, the people of Babenhausen understood that their unloved camp was not the end of the line but a way station on the road to freedom. After the apparent absence of God during the maniacal years of their torment, the survivors were not strong in religious faith. But they were fierce in their ethnicity; they clung to each other desperately and were loyal to their peoplehood. And, thus the reason we are here tonight--to honor the U.S. Army for their understanding, sympathy, and the morality of their conduct and their help in providing books of traditional significance. The rest of this remarkable story which 54 years later brings us to tonight is left to Marvin Simon, Senator John Warner, and our guest speaker--Lucian Truscott IV and to Major General Gaylord T. Gunhus, Chief of the U.S. Army Chaplains. I now call on another giant of our community who was the lead benefactor of this project--the man who made tonight possible. He has worked closely with the American Jewish Historical Society to make sure the exhibit tells the story, both of the Survivor's Talmud and of Leonard Strelitz. Please welcome Marvin Simon. Introduction of sponsors by Marvin Simon Please welcome our guest Senator Chuck Robb--a friend of many of you--a long time proven friend of Israel and the Jewish people--Senator Robb Introduction of Senator John Warner In 1946, a delegation of DP rabbis approached General Joseph McNarney, commander of the American Zone of Occupied Germany, asking that the Army publish a Talmud. McNarney understood the symbolic significance of their request and received assistance from General Lucian Truscott who had succeeded General George Patton as commander of the 3rd Army. The grandson of General Lucian Truscott is Historian Lucian Truscott IV and we are pleased that he is with us this evening as our keynote speaker. Mr. Truscott, whose father was a West Point graduate and Colonel in the Army, is the oldest of five children. Mr. Truscott graduated from West Point in 1969, then made a name for himself by revealing a serious problem with heroin abuse that existed in the service, a revelation that at first did not sit well with the Army and led to his discharge. Lucian Truscott subsequently became a investigative reporter for the Village Voice, then the best author of Dress Gray, considered one of the best novels ever written about West Point. It became a television mini-series. Mr. Truscott then wrote Dress Blue, a riveting novel about Vietnam. He has also written screenplays and today lives in Los Angeles. Please welcome Lucian Truscott IV. Introduction of Joyce Strelitz It is my pleasure now to bring you someone who needs no introduction to this audience. Joyce Strelitz. Tonight the benefactors would like to thank the following for tonight would not have been possible without their invaluable participation, work and support in the coordination of the Survivors' Talmud exhibit and dedication. Thank you to: American Jewish Historical Society, Executive Director, Dr. Michael Feldberg; Chrysler Museum of Art, Director Dr. William T. Hennessey and a truly wonderful staff; Rubin Cawley and Associates, President Joel R. Rubin; Rabbi Michael Panitz, Temple Israel in Norfolk; Headquarters TRADOC, Ft. Monroe; Ft. Eustis Public Affairs; Ft. Story Public Affairs; Mr. Mark Goldstein, Executive Director of the Tidewater Jewish Federation and Ms. AnnaBelle Sacks, President of the Tidewater Jewish Federation; Dr. Arthur Kaplan--President of Tidewater Jewish Foundation; And last Philip Rover, Executive Director of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation who did a truly wonderful job in a leadership role, his organizational skills, follow through and support, made doing this project a pleasure. Thank you Philip, Beth Jacobsen, and Ellen Anitai and the rest of your staff. ____ U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, May 22, 2001. To the Special Participants and Guests of the Survivors' Talmud Dedication Ceremony and members of the Strelitz Family: It is with extreme disappointment that I pen this note to be read in my stead at today's ceremony. I had planned until one hour ago to be with you but the only thing senators must do is to vote, so here I must remain--voting--on legislation to provide federal tax relief. My thoughts, however, are truly with you as the Survivors' Talmud Exhibit is dedicated and a long awaited `Thank you' is delivered to the U.S. Army. This extraordinary story speaks to the strength and resolve of a determined people and it is in honor of a great man, Leonard Strelitz. In a war ravaged Europe, Army soldiers managed to gather scarce resources, that ``officially'' did not exist, in order to publish the Talmud. By the end of 1948, 100 copies had been published and a brave people had renewed hope for their future. That is the historic past; now we look to the future. The citizens of this community have joined in this commemorative event to preserve a unique chapter of history for future generations to more fully understand the sacrifices, losses, and the courage of the World War II generation. With great humility I mention that I was a young sailor in the closing months of World War II, and today, I experience stunning disbelief of how few of this generation have any remembrance of that period of history. Future generations must always remain alert to prevent abuses of human rights, individual dignity, and freedom. I thank those present tonight for their vigilance and recognition of the initiatives of the citizen soldiers of World War II. With kind regards, I am Sincerely, John Warner. ____________________