March 31, 2003
PRESIDENT BUSH APPOINTS NEW MEMBERS TO UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL COUNCIL
Congressional Appointees Also Named
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President George W. Bush has named seven new members to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the governing body of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Senate and House leaders have also announced two new Council members and four reappointments. The Council consists of 55 Presidential appointees in addition to 10 Congressional representatives and three ex-officio members from the departments of Education, Interior and State. Five more Presidential appointments are expected soon.
“These individuals bring committed and talented leadership to our urgent task of ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust reach as many Americans as possible,” said Council Chairman Fred S. Zeidman. “As the Museum enters its second decade, I look forward to working with them and the other members of the Council to build on our first 10 years of success.”
Presidentially appointed Council members, whose five-year terms expire in January 2008, are:
- Debra Lerner Cohen, Washington, DC, is managing partner of Lerner Enterprises, a real estate development and investment company based in North Bethesda, MD, and an officer of the Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation. The Lerner family was one of the earliest to support the construction of the Museum as Founders. She has been a board member of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science, Washington Region, for 17 years, serving for two years as its chairman.
- Sam Devinki, Kansas City, MO, is the president of Devinki Developers. The son of Holocaust survivors, he was born in postwar Germany, before his family immigrated to the United States. He is on the board of directors of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education. He has also served on the boards of the Menorah Medical Center, the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, and Kehileth Israel Synagogue for thirty years, where he also served as president.
- Donald Etra, Los Angeles, CA, is a partner at the Law Offices of Donald Etra. He serves on the board of directors of the Jewish Community Relations Council and was vice chair of the United Jewish Fund, both in Los Angeles. He also was chairman of the board of the Young Israel of Century City from 2000 to 2002. In addition, he is an active member of the Yale alumni association.
- David M. Flaum, Rochester, NY, is the son of Holocaust survivors and the founder and chief executive officer of Flaum Management Company and the Hague Corporation. He is president of Flaum/Christa Ventures, and is active in the revitalization efforts of downtown Rochester. Mr. Flaum serves on the boards of the University of Rochester Medical Center and Syracuse University.
- Eric F. Ross, South Orange, NJ, fled Nazi Germany in 1938. His parents were deported to Theresienstadt and later murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Following service in World War II, he founded Alpha Chemicals and Plastics Company in Newark, NJ, and later, Mercer Plastics Company in Florida. In 1999, Mr. Ross dedicated the Museum’s Administrative Center in memory of his parents.
- Richard Sambol, Middletown, NJ, has served as president of Sambol Construction Corporation since 1955. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he is a life trustee of Monmouth University, Long Branch, and trustee emeritus of Kimball Medical Center, Lakewood. Mr. Sambol also serves as vice president of the Ocean County Jewish Federation.
- Merryl H. Tisch, New York, NY, has been a member of the New York State Board of Regents since1996. She also serves as chairman of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, and is a member of the board of UJA-Federation of New York, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Mount Sinai Children’s Center Foundation, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Her family, through the Tisch Foundation, supported construction of the Museum as Founders.
Congressional leaders have named the following to the Council: Sen. Norm Coleman (MN); Sen. Susan Collins (ME); Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (UT); Rep. Eric Cantor (VA-7th); Rep. Chris Cannon (UT-3rd); Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (OH-14th).
Created by unanimous act of Congress, the Museum is America’s national institution for Holocaust education and remembrance. A unique public-private partnership, the Museum brings the history and lessons of the Holocaust to Americans from all walks of life through educational outreach, teacher training, traveling exhibitions, and scholarship. Since its dedication in April 1993, the Museum has welcomed nearly 19 million visitors, including over 5.5 million children. For more information on the Museum’s 10th Anniversary activities, visit www.ushmm.org.
