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Rep. Howard L. Berman

Mr. Speaker, I rise to mark the loss of a titan of education in Los Angeles, Shirley Levine, who passed away on January 9, 2012. The entire Los Angeles community suffered a great loss in her passing.

Shirley Levine served as an educator in the LA Unified School District before founding the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in 1972. Encouraged by several local leaders, such as Rabbi Harold Schulweis and Mark Lainer, Shirley laid the groundwork for a school that would fuse humanistic values, a love of Judaism, and unparalleled secular studies. She originally opened the school in North Hollywood, CA, but Heschel quickly outgrew facilities at Adat An El and Valley Beth Shalom synagogues, among other locations, and the school eventually found a permanent home in Northridge, CA. As noted by Rabbi Jan Goldstein, the rabbi-in-residence during Heschel Day School's early years, each institution was forever impacted by Shirley's vision and passion.

As Heschel's Congressman during the 1980s and 1990s, I watched the school mature into a powerful source of moral strength in the San Fernando Valley community, with thousands of roots that trace back to Shirley's instruction and guidance. I have seen these roots firsthand--many of my constituents are current students and graduates of Heschel, as are some of my staff and close family friends. I can see Shirley's legacy through the activism and Jewish vitality of these individuals.

One graduate related to me stories of weekly Sabbath gatherings in every classroom at Heschel, and how meaningful it was to mark that day each week with peers. The week had an anchor, with the Sabbath as the focus. That epitomizes Shirley's approach--she created an institution with a warm, welcoming environment, one imbued with Jewish and humanistic values. I am also aware that many graduates credit Shirley for making them the person they are today, especially those who spent an inordinate amount of time for disciplinary reasons in Shirley's office. Shirley's son, Darren, stated during Shirley's eulogy that his mother's lasting message is: ``Be passionate about what you do, treat others with compassion, and take actions to make the world a better place.'' I am inspired by the passion in which Shirley led her life; I am mindful of the compassion she imbued in her students; and I am grateful to Shirley for indeed making our community a better place.

My condolences go out to Shirley's husband, Arnold; children Mark, Darren and Marci; and the entire Heschel family.