Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E598-E599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN HONOR OF HARLEY LIPPMAN
______
HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to
recognize Harley Lippman, who is being recognized today as part of
Jewish American Heritage Month. Harley has been a generous
philanthropist and humanitarian who has been dedicated to uncovering
mass graves of Jews murdered by the Nazis in Poland. His persistence
and dedication have meant that the Nazis' victims will never be
forgotten.
Deeply concerned about the possibility that Jews murdered during the
Holocaust would simply disappear from memory, Harley has made a unique
contribution to the remembrance of the Jewish community that was
destroyed by the Nazis. With singular purpose and dedication, Harley
has searched for unknown gravesites and has paid for the restoration of
historic Jewish graveyards.
At my urging, Harley was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the
Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad which is
involved in restoring desecrated cemeteries in Eastern Europe. Created
in 1993, the Commission is tasked with identifying and reporting on
cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings in Eastern and Central
Europe that are associated with the heritage of U.S. citizens,
particularly endangered properties. Congress recognized that, as a
nation of immigrants, the United States has an interest in preserving
sites related to the heritage of Americans, particularly Jewish
gravesites since the Holocaust wiped out the communities that would
ordinarily have cared for them. It is a credit to him, his enthusiasm
and dedication, that he was reappointed by both Republican and
Democratic Administrations.
Harley has been the sole funder of an effort to find mass graves in
Poland--sites where Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis and then buried.
So far, his team has found 52 sites. When he finds a site, he ensures
that a memorial plaque is erected to honor the victims. He also
arranges for a service with the Chief Rabbi of Poland, a Catholic
priest and a Protestant minister and invites school children to help
memorialize the dead. These ceremonies provide a meaningful opportunity
to remind people of the Jews who perished, the tremendous loss in
culture and humanity for Poland, the brutality of the Nazis and the
success of the Jewish community that survived.
Harley has been a leader of a host of organizations from the
Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy, an
organization founded by Eli Wiesel, which he currently serves as
President, to the American-Israel Friendship League and American Jewish
Congress.
With great generosity and compassion, Harley has also helped orphans
in Cambodia. He is the sole funder of an orphanage, enabling children
to find stability, get an education and go on to college. It truly has
been life-changing for many of these kids.
[[Page E599]]
Harley Lippman created Genesis 10, a company that currently employs
over 2,000 people across the country. Genesis 10 helps companies solve
technology problems and find talent to address their needs.
Unquestionably, Genesis 10 succeeds because it has a great leader at
the helm. USA Today ranked Harley among the top 30 CEOs in America of
all large companies including the Fortune 500.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Harley
Lippman for his extraordinary contributions to America and the Jewish
community.
____________________
