[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10595]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING HARRY HAFT'S PLACE IN THE NATIONAL JEWISH SPORTS HALL OF FAME

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE ISRAEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 25, 2007

  Mr. ISRAEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Harry Haft, a 
Holocaust survivor and inductee into the National Jewish Sports Hall of 
Fame.
  Born Hertzka Haft on July 28, 1925 in Poland, Harry Haft was only 16 
when he was sent to the infamous concentration camp, Auschwitz. Here, 
the brave teenager was forced to fight other prisoners for the 
amusement of German SS guards. These perverse, bare-knuckled bouts were 
held while Mr. Haft routinely faced starvation, torture, and a culture 
of death.
  However, Mr. Haft's determination and instincts kept him alive long 
enough to escape from the camp. After World War II ended, Mr. Haft 
married Miriam and traveled to America determined to find freedom, 
Here, he became a professional boxer, one who would battle elements of 
corruption and organized crime as he worked to establish himself as a 
professional athlete. His winning career would culminate in a bout 
against the future undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, Rocky 
Marciano. After his retirement from the ring, Mr. Haft had three 
children, Alan, Marty, and Helene, and today is a proud grandfather of 
six: Hartley, Jamie, Stephanie, Ethan, Melodie, and Jonathan,
  This Sunday, April 29, 2007, Mr. Haft will take his place as a 
deserving member of the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Commack, 
New York. His story is one of perseverance and survival--of a man who 
escaped from unimaginable horror to find a new life and success at the 
top of his profession. I am proud to honor him today.

                          ____________________