On the recordSeptember 12, 2016
I thank my friends, Ranking Member Engel and Chairman Royce, for their efforts. A sincere thanks to my dear friend, Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her partnership on this effort, her unyielding commitment to seeing that there is justice. She has been a tireless advocate for Holocaust survivors and the entire community. I also want to thank our Florida colleague, Senator Bill Nelson, and Senator Collins, for spearheading this effort in the Senate. We share a deep commitment to ensuring that every survivor can live out his or her life with dignity. It is a commitment that was inspired each and every day by those in our own communities. But for me, especially, it was a commitment inspired every day by our great friend and Holocaust survivor, my constituent, Jack Rubin. Jack survived Auschwitz and three other death camps before he was liberated at age 16. He was the only member of his family to survive. For decades, Jack fought for the needs of the survivor community. He fought for the right to seek justice. He was a voice for so many of those who had no one to speak for them. He traveled to Washington, D.C., many times at his own expense, well into his eighties. He testified in front of Congress. For me, Jack was a friend and a mentor. He was a cheerleader, he was an eternal optimist. He believed that it wasn't too late, it was never too late, to make a real difference in the lives of those who had suffered history's greatest tragedy.…
