[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21938]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF THE ISRAEL CANCER RESEARCH FUND AND THE 2009 BARBARA 
      GOODMAN ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC AWARDS & DONOR RECOGNITION EVENING

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2009

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize an extraordinary 
organization, an amazing group of donors and the launch of a new 
musical. The Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) is the single largest 
source of private funds for cancer research in Israel, and its generous 
donors have raised nearly $37 million for cancer research by Israeli 
scientists. Tonight at the 2009 Barbara Goodman Annual Scientific 
Awards & Donor Recognition evening, ICRF is announcing this year's 
cancer research grants and celebrating the magnanimousness of ICRF's 
remarkable benefactors. The evening's festivities will feature a 
preview performance of Wallenberg, The Musical, a new musical about the 
courageous efforts of Raoul Wallenberg to save a significant portion of 
the Hungarian Jewish community from the Holocaust.
  Since its founding in 1975, ICRF has become the largest single source 
of private funds for cancer research in the State of Israel. The Fund 
has provided tens of millions of dollars worth of grants in thousands 
of separate awards to top-notch scientists at all of Israel's leading 
research institutions. ICRF awards are often the first grants young 
scientists receive following completion of their academic studies, and 
allow them to establish labs, begin their professional research and 
attract grants from other sources, while remaining in Israel. Grant 
recipients include the first Israelis ever to receive the Nobel Prize 
in the sciences. Some remarkable breakthroughs of ICRF-supported 
researchers include the development of drugs that treat multiple 
myeloma; that target cancer cells directly; and that are encapsulated 
in a liposome for direct delivery to tumor sites. Other projects have 
helped scientists conduct cutting-edge cancer research on genes, 
leading to the identification of the p53 gene as a tumor suppressor; 
the discovery that a minor mutation in the RAD51 gene increases the 
risk of breast cancer; and pioneering work on DNA Methylation, a 
molecular process that turns genes on and off. In addition, ICRF 
provided critical support to the development of a novel bone marrow 
transplant technique that significantly expanded the donor pool for 
leukemia treatment.
  Barbara S. Goodman lost her battle to pancreatic cancer on July 18, 
2002 at the age of 51. She was a loving wife and mother and a devoted 
friend who made the people she loved the center of her life. Ms. 
Goodman had also fought bone cancer and survived the disease for 
fifteen years. She would be proud to know that research is being 
conducted in her name that will advance our ability to treat pancreatic 
cancer and help those afflicted with the disease. Her husband, Kenneth 
Goodman, who is serving as Chairman of the evening's festivities, has 
demonstrated remarkable generosity and great dedication to the noble 
effort to expand cancer research funding.
  The award recipients, donors and attendees of tonight's event will be 
treated to a preview performance of Wallenberg, The Musical, book and 
lyrics by Laurence Holzman and Felicia Needleman, and music by Benjamin 
Rosenbluth. Wallenberg tells the fascinating and uplifting story of 
Raoul Wallenberg, one of the heroes of the 20th century, a Swedish 
diplomat who singlehandedly saved more than 100,000 Hungarian Jews in a 
sixth month period. His courage demonstrates that one person can have a 
monumental impact and suggests that history could have been different 
had more people acted as valiantly as Mr. Wallenberg. The presentation 
will take place at the historic Hudson Theatre, a landmarked theatre 
built in 1903 by Henry Harris, that later became a radio playhouse, a 
television studio, a burlesque theatre, a rock club and most recently, 
an elegant venue for special events. Mr. Wallenberg's niece, Louise Von 
Dardel, is flying in from Paris to be present at the event.
  Like Raoul Wallenberg, the donors, ICRF and the scientists are 
proving that individuals can make an extraordinary difference. Raoul 
Wallenberg succeeded through personal heroism and audacious ploys, 
while ICRF's heroes make a difference through their benevolence, 
volunteer work and scientific research. The work that these 
extraordinary people are doing will save thousands of lives.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my distinguished colleagues to join me in 
recognizing the exemplary work being done by ICRF and the scientists it 
funds, and the extraordinary generosity of its donors.

                          ____________________