[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 15585-15586] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]ROFEH INTERNATIONAL--NEW ENGLAND CHASSIDIC CENTER HONORS THOSE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED GREATLY ______ HON. BARNEY FRANK of massachusetts in the house of representatives Thursday, October 13, 2011 Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, for some years now I have had the privilege of sharing with our colleagues information about a very important event that is held annually in Massachusetts by an organization that does great work in making health benefits available to people who need them, in the best possible setting. ROFEH International was founded by the Boston Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Levi Horowitz, and is now led by his son, Grand Rabbi Naftali Horowitz. Rabbi Levi Horowitz was widely respected for his expertise in the field of medical ethics, and Project ROFEH, founded by him at the New England Chassidic Center, does extraordinary work in making the great healthcare available in the Greater Boston area accessible to people in other places. On November 20th, at their annual dinner, Project ROFEH-- New England Chassidic Center will, as it has in the past, honor people who have performed extraordinary service for others. The ROFEH International Award will go to Dr. Joseph Upton. The Grand Rabbi Levi Horowitz Legacy Award goes to Professor Neil Hecht. And in a special award, the 50th Jubilee of Congregation Bais Pinchas, the Jubilee Award is being given to the Blechner family, the descendants of Sidney and Toby Blechner, who did so much to make this organization the great success it is today. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the biographies of Dr. Joseph Upton and Professor Neil Hecht and Sidney and Toby Blecher be printed here, along with the explanation from Grand Rabbi Horowitz of the Jubilee Award to the Blechner family. Dr. Joseph Upton With a broad background in surgical training Dr. Upton was originally recruited by Joseph Murray to be the first designated hand and microsurgeon in the Longwood teaching hospitals. During the past 34 years his practice has been focused on clinical surgery, education and clinical research. His large practice draws patients from well beyond all regions of the United States and he is known nationally and internationally as a reconstructive surgeon with expertise in upper limb surgery and microsurgery and excels in the evaluation, planning and technical expertise of difficult problems. Dr. Upton was one of the original plastic surgeons who ushered in the advent of free tissue transfers and limb reattachment surgery in the 1980's. He is known for taking a difficult problem and finding a better, easier solution. Many of the first transfers in this region of the country, in fact, the world were performed by Dr. Upton in the 1980's. During his few decades on staff he was an active participant in the gross anatomy course at the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Upton continues to perform many flesh dissections and teaches yearly flap dissection courses. He has always been eager to take new and some old technologies directly to patient care. In the operating room he is [[Page 15586]] known for his innovative approaches, which incorporate old and new ideas with new technologies. As an educator he has functioned at many levels in his daily routines and usually has a medical student, resident and clinical fellow in attendance. All participate as he can teach at all levels. His microvascular/hand fellowship program is based at BIDMC within the Department of Orthopedics and the Division of Plastic Surgery. He has given lectures, keynote addresses, instructional courses and completed many visiting professorships nationally and internationally. Original papers in peer-reviewed journals are evidence of his scholarship. More detailed descriptions of many of these procedures are found in the textbooks or invited discussions in peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Upton's research has been almost entirely clinical and he rarely describes a new procedure without medium or long- term outcomes. At the Boston Children's Hospital and Shriners Burns Hospital he has accumulated the largest experience with congenital problems in the world. His collection of hand models of congenital malformations is unique. He has had an exhibit in the Boston Museum of Science for 30 years. He was an active participant in the Joseph Vacanti Tissue Engineering lab for 13 years and worked on cartilage and skeletal constructs and prior to this worked in the Folkman Laboratory at The Children's Hospital. Professor Neil S. Hecht Neil Hecht is professor of law and Founding Director of the Institute of Jewish Law at Boston University School of Law, where he has taught for almost 50 years. He received Rabbinical Ordination from Yeshiva University, a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School and a research doctorate from Columbia University School of Law. In 1980 Professor Hecht fulfilled his life-long dream of introducing Jewish law into the curriculum of a major American law school. Through his efforts, Jewish law is now taught in over thirty law schools, and he was instrumental in creating a permanent Jewish Law Section in the Association of American Law Schools. Moreover, its successful reception at BU Law School led to his founding of The Institute of Jewish Law in 1983, which was established for the purpose of publishing treatises, monographs, and teaching materials. Under its auspices, he has written or edited 36 volumes to date. Among these works are Jewish Jurisprudence (a two- volume commentary on Choshen Mishpat, Jewish Civil Law, which contains the only preface ever written by Rabbi Joseph Solovetchik, zt'l), The Jewish Law Annual, and Controversy and Dialogue in Halachik Sources (a four-volume work in Hebrew and English exploring the nature of controversy and authority, machloket, in Jewish law). From 1985 to 1986, Professor Hecht served as the Visiting Gruss Professor of Talmudic Civil Law at New York University School of Law. In the 1990s, he also served as co-director of the Joint Project in Jewish Legal Bioethics, a collaborative initiative of the Institute of Jewish Law and Boston University's Schools of Medicine and Public Health. His many professional and public service activities include serving as a founding director on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, chairing the Jewish Law Section of the Association of American Law Schools, and becoming an elected member of the American Law Institute. Among other honors, he was recognized by the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford University, by Boston University School of Law where he received the Silver Shingle Award for distinguished service and the Melton Award for Teaching Excellence, and by Yeshiva University which awarded him the Bernard Revel Memorial Award for his contributions in the field of Jewish legal scholarship. The relationship between the Hechts and the Rebbe's family dates back to the early part of the 20th Century. Professor Hecht's great-grandfather was a close friend and strong supporter of the Rebbe's grandfather, Grand Rabbi Pinchus Dovid Horowitz, zt'l, when the latter lived in Brooklyn. Sidney and Toby (Thurm) Blechner A''H Epitomized What Giving of Self to Community Means ``V'kol mi she'oskim b'tzarchei tzibur be'emunah'' Toby, daughter of Menachem Mendel Thurm, founder of World Cheese Company, the first kosher cheese company in the USA, came to America from Germany. Sidney, fortunately and with the hashgacha pratis of God, survived six years in concentration camps and arrived in New York in 1947 where he met his beloved partner to be of 59 years. They married on Lag B'omer 1948, and soon settled in the Roxbury section of Boston. Though having gone through the fires of Europe, this ``ood mootzal may'aish'' together with his eishet chayil decided to look only forward and rebuild what their families and communities lost in Europe. They started to build a family and Sidney became successful in the lighting industry. His honesty and integrity were admired by all he came into contact with, Jew and non-Jew alike. Toby, meanwhile, worked tirelessly with the fledging Roxbury community to build up religious Jewish institutions. Both became active in the Young Israel of Greater Boston, Congregation Beth Pinchas of Roxbury, Maimonides School, and New England Lubavitch Yeshiva. When the Jewish community migrated to Brookline, Sidney made himself and his resources available to help with lighting up the makom Tefilah or makom Limud Torah of many institutions that moved to Brookline. At the same time, the Blechner family became very close to the Bostoner Rebbe Z''L and Rebbetzin A''H while sharing their philanthropic efforts among CJP, Young Israel of Brookline, Daughters of Israel, Religious Zionists of America, Yeshiva University, Talner Congregation, B'nai Brith, Israel Bonds, and many ``matan b'seser'' recipients. But it was the special charisma and charm of the Bostoner Rebbe Z''L and his Rebbetzin A''H that attracted Sidney and Toby to daven at the Rebbe's shul. Toby had a special seat next to the Rebbetzin and Sidney especially enjoyed the Rebbe's nusach and warmth on the Yamim Noara'im. They became active supporters of ROFEH as well as the New England Chassidic Center where Sidney was honored as ``Man of the Year''. Instead of plaques on his office wall, Sidney preferred simple thank you letters as appreciation for the tzedakah and chessed that he and Toby were able to provide to others. It takes a lot of hakarat hatov for people in today's generation to think back to those who built up a miniscule Torah community of Boston in the 50's to what is has become today for all newcomers to benefit from. Sidney and Toby Blechner were the patriarch and matriarch of a beautiful family of 4 children, 18 grandchildren who are Roshei yeshiva dedicated to teaching Torah in their communities, professionals in finance, law, education, computers, graphic design and who serve in the Israeli army. It is therefore most fitting to bestow the ``Congregation Bais Pinchas Jubilee Award'' in their memory. This Year We Celebrate the 50th Jubilee of Congregation Bais Pinchas in Brookline, Massachusetts Receiving the Jubilee Award on behalf of their parents, the Blechner family It is important for people in today's generation to recognizing and appreciate the good done by those who built up a community of Boston in the 50's to what is has become today for all newcomers to benefit from. Mr. and Mrs. Blechner were dedicated their time and efforts in seeing to it that the Boston community should be successful and thrive. Sidney and Toby Blechner were the patriarch and matriarch who helped to build and beautify the Boston community, of a beautiful family of 4 children, 18 grandchildren who are to teaching in their communities, professionals in finance, law, education, computers, graphic design and who serve in the Israeli army. It is therefore most fitting to bestow the ``Congregation Bais Pinchas Jubilee Award'' in their memory. Sincerely, Grand Rabbi Naftali Y. Horowitz, Bostoner Rebbe. ____________________