February 4, 2004
PRESIDENT BUSH APPOINTS TWO NEW MEMBERS TO UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL COUNCIL
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President George W. Bush has named Tony Gelbart of Boca Raton, FL, and Harry Reicher, of New York City, to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the governing body of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 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.
“I look forward to working with these talented and committed individuals in furthering the important mission of Holocaust education and remembrance,” said Council Chairman Fred S. Zeidman. “They are joining the Museum at an exciting time in its history. As we enter our second decade, we are expanding the reach of our unique educational programs to bring the timely lessons of the Holocaust to new generations in communities across the country.”
Mr. Gelbart and Mr. Reicher will each complete the remainder of a five-year term that expires in January 2008.
Tony B. Gelbart, Boca Raton, Florida, is President and CEO of CPM Worldwide Group, an investment company based in Boca Raton, with holdings in both the U.S. and Israel, and founded Carewell Industries and Paper Partners. Founder and Chairman of Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization promoting North American Aliyah, he is also a board member of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies; Vice Chairman, Republican Jewish Coalition; and plays an active role in many other Jewish, civic and community organizations.
Harry Reicher, New York, New York, is an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia, where he pioneered the academic field of law and the Holocaust. The coursework he developed examines how the Nazis perverted the German legal system to discriminate against, ostracize, de-humanize, and eventually eliminate entire groups of people, and the subsequent establishment of post-Holocaust international human rights law. His legal work also focuses on matters of Holocaust-era restitution and litigation on behalf of Agudath Israel World Organization, of which he is the Director of International Affairs and Representative to the United Nations.
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 20 million visitors, including 6.2 million children. For more information on the Museum, visit www.ushmm.org.
