[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9103-9104]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE GALBUT FAMILY AND THE HEBREW ACADEMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, it is with great pride that I stand 
here tonight in honor of Bessie, Ronalee and Russell Galbut, an 
institution in South Florida. I want to recognize them for their work 
on behalf of the Hebrew Academy of Miami Beach and for all that they 
have done to promote the Jewish heritage in my area of South Florida.
  The Hebrew Academy of Miami Beach is among the finest institutions, 
both academically and in terms of philanthropy as well. It is dedicated 
to educating children regardless of their financial means and to 
instilling in them the timeless values of Judaism so that they may 
remain steadfast in their faith.
  The Hebrew Academy and the Galbut family have been intertwined for 
many years. At the young age of 17, Bessie met Hymie, a 19-year-old 
student at Tulane. Hymie had enlisted in the Navy and would not return 
for 7 years.
  The newly wed Galbuts then moved to Miami Beach, and immediately 
became active in the Jewish community in our area. They devoted their 
time to the Jewish Learning Center and to the Jewish Community Center, 
and played integral roles in the building of the mikvah in the 
community. Hymie checked the lighting and planted the trees and the 
flowers with his own hands.
  Their home quickly filled with four beautiful children--Robert, 
David, Aib, and Russell--challenging Bessie to keep the family's roots 
firmly planted in the principles of the Torah. She and Hymie worked 
tirelessly to send their four children to the Hebrew Academy.
  Years later at the Hebrew Academy, the youngest Galbut, Russell, was 
educated alongside a young lady named Ronalee Eisenberg. During and 
after her time at the academy, Ronalee traveled the world, spending a 
year in Israel and earning a degree from Boston University, not 
realizing that what she had been looking for all of her life was right 
in her own backyard. Shortly after her return to Miami Beach, she 
married Russell Galbut.
  Ronalee and Russell have continued in these time-honored family 
traditions by assuming roles of leadership in

[[Page 9104]]

the Jewish community of Miami Beach and by sending their own two 
children, Marisa and Jenna, to the Hebrew Academy. Both have taken it 
upon themselves to give of the many blessings that have been bestowed 
upon them. They have consistently supported various charities and 
organizations, including the Hebrew homes, the Greater Miami Jewish 
Federation, the Jewish Community Center, and the Simon Wiesenthal 
Center.
  Three generations later, the Galbut family legacy endures as 
children, grandchildren and great grandchildren become graduates of the 
Hebrew Academy. Even the greatest of success cannot compare to the joy 
and pride of the many fruits produced from the dedication, from the 
service and from the giving spirit of this loving family. The laborer 
is worthy of his wages, and the fortuitous life of the Galbut family 
acts as a testimony of the treasures that abound from a life dedicated 
toward giving.
  The Galbut family, on behalf of all South Floridians and the United 
States Congress, thank you very much for your life of selfless giving.

                          ____________________