On the recordNovember 30, 2010
I rise today to support this resolution and thank its sponsor, the gentlewoman from Florida, and call for its quick passage. This important resolution highlights the often forgotten special needs of the few remaining Holocaust survivors. It also calls for the assurances that their final years will be comfortable and dignified. Over 100,000 Holocaust survivors live in the U.S. today with 3,500 of those living in my city, Chicago. Three-quarters of those are in their eighties and nineties. The majority live alone and more than half live below the poverty line. As these individuals who survived torture, starvation and unspeakable terrors age, they deserve to do so in their own homes rather than in institutional settings. After all they have endured and overcome, these spirited survivors of the Holocaust deserve access to social service programs sensitive to their unique needs. This resolution will ensure they spend their last years with the same dignity with which they lived.
