E1902 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 20, 2005 her life of service at her alma mater. In Janu- create a statutory privilege protecting commu- Wiesenthal was able to prove that the evi- ary 2006, she will become the executive direc- nications made by victims of sexual assault to dence for his death was insufficient. tor of the Leadership Institute at Texas Wom- health care providers and victim advocates. Wiesenthal then assisted Israeli efforts to track an’s University at Denton. This privilege should extend to both medical down Eichmann. Eventually, the war criminal As General Saunders transitions from her health care providers and to those victim ad- was caught and executed thanks in large part role as a military leader to a community lead- vocates designated and trained to perform that to Wiesenthal’s efforts. er, we wish her great health and happiness. I duty in a manner prescribed by DoD regula- After the extremely high profile capture of know I speak for all of my colleagues in ex- tion.’’ Eichmann, Wiesenthal was able to gather pressing my heartfelt appreciation for her This is exactly what my bill will do. The Mili- enough support to continue in his efforts. He many years of service. I am confident in the tary Victims of Violence Confidentiality Act will continued his mission and was able to secure years ahead, Mary Saunders will continue to establish comprehensive confidentiality proto- the arrests and convictions of other important leave her indelible mark on our country. cols to protect the rights of victims within mili- Nazis. His work led to the capture of Karl f tary law. Under my bill, communications made Silberbauer, a member of the German Ge- to secure advice, counseling, treatment or as- stapo who arrested Anne Frank. Silberbauer’s THE MILITARY VICTIMS OF sistance concerning a victim’s mental, phys- confessions disproved the claims that The VIOLENCE CONFIDENTIALITY ACT ical, or emotional state will remain confidential. Diary of Anne Frank was a forgery. Moreover, a victim will be able to refuse to Wiesenthal was also instrumental in the cap- HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER disclose and prevent any other person from ture and conviction of who was OF NEW YORK disclosing a confidential communication. in charge of running the Treblinka and Sobibor IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES If a victim’s doctor and advocate cannot pro- concentration camps. Wiesenthal also is cred- Tuesday, September 20, 2005 tect the confidentiality of treatment sessions, ited with locating Hermine Braunsteiner-Ryan, sexual assault and domestic violence victims a housewife living in New York who had su- Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, today, I am will be unlikely to seek essential care for fear pervised the murder of hundreds of children proud to introduce the Military Victims of Vio- of stigma, public embarrassment, or threats to during the war. lence Confidentiality Act. This important piece their career. Consequently, the military will believed that it was his of legislation will ensure greater protections for continue to lose valuable women soldiers. mission to ensure that the victims of the Holo- women in the military who are victims of vio- These women put themselves in harm’s way caust were not forgotten and that the type of lence by keeping their medical and counseling to protect us and our Nation from threats at atrocities that occurred during the Second records confidential and allowing them to ob- home and abroad. The military should work as World War do not happen to anyone any- tain valuable treatment services without further hard to ensure they are protected when deal- where ever again. Personally, I was honored victimization. ing with a horrible tragedy. to have made his acquaintance and was hum- The military should be at the forefront of Do not allow our brave service members to bled by his presence. prosecuting assailants and setting the highest be victimized twice, once by their perpetrator Thanks to Simon Wiesenthal’s lifelong dedi- standards for treatment of service women vic- and then again by the lack of appropriate, cation to the cause and organizations such as timized by sexual assault and domestic vio- compassionate, and confidential care. Mr. the Simon Wiesenthal Center, neither he nor lence. Yet, our Armed Forces have failed to Speaker, I encourage all Members to join me the victims of the Nazi atrocities will ever be enforce the most basic protections to ensure in cosponsoring the Military Victims of Vio- forgotten. It is now our responsibility to con- these victims can receive necessary coun- lence Confidentiality Act. tinue the vision of Simon Wiesenthal. We can seling and treatment. Counseling and treat- f not allow the horror of what occurred at ment is essential to begin the healing process, Auschwitz and Treblinka and the other con- and service members should be able to seek REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF centration camps to be erased from our mem- access to these services without fear of expo- SIMON WIESENTHAL ory; we can not allow racism and hatred to sure or public humiliation. fester to the point where genocide becomes Recently, the issue of protecting confidential HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS an option; and we can not allow those who communications was brought to light in the OF FLORIDA commit acts of genocide to walk away without case of U.S. v Harding. Ms. Jessica Brakey IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES having to answer for the horrific crimes they was allegedly sexually assaulted in 2000 while Tuesday, September 20, 2005 have committed. The world has lost a cham- serving as a cadet at the Air Force Academy. pion for compassion and humanity in the Following the assault, Ms. Brakey sought Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I death of Simon Wiesenthal. May his memory counseling by victim advocate, Ms. Jennifer rise today to honor the life of one of the great always be a blessing unto all of us. Bier—a civilian who was contracted by the figures in Jewish and world history, the late f military. Under Colorado’s rape shield law, the Simon Wiesenthal. Mr. Wiesenthal, a Holo- disclosure of a victim’s counseling records is caust survivor who crusaded to ensure that COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF prohibited. However, the military court issued those responsible for were SIMON WIESENTHAL an extremely broad subpoena for Ms. Brakey’s brought to justice, passed away earlier today treatment records with Ms. Bier, as well as her in his home in , . Simon HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN complete 10-year medical history. When Ms. Wiesenthal followed his creed of ‘‘justice, not OF CALIFORNIA Bier refused to turn over these records to the vengeance’’ and oversaw the arrest, capture IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES military court, the judge suspended the case and conviction of many Nazi war criminals. against the alleged assailant. Simon Wiesenthal was imprisoned at five Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Unfortunately, this precedent setting case German Condentration camps during the Nazi Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply sent a clear message to the thousands of Holocaust, narrowly escaping execution on nu- saddened today to learn of the death of Simon women in the military who are victims of sex- merous occasions. After he was liberated, Mr. Wiesenthal, one of the world’s great humani- ual assault and domestic violence each year Wiesenthal went to work for the tarians. Over the past 50 years he tirelessly that the Armed Forces will not protect you. It Army and began gathering information to be fought to preserve the memory of those who is critical that we take appropriate action to used in the Nazi war crimes trials. After the perished in the Holocaust and dared the world ensure that victims of these crimes are able to Nuremberg trials, while the governments of to learn from their mistakes. seek treatment and counseling without reper- the United States and the were Wiesenthal, along with his wife Cyla, sur- cussion. no longer interested in pursuing Nazi war vived the Holocaust determined to bring those Although this bill is supported by many or- criminals, Wiesenthal continued the charge to responsible to justice, for this, the most mon- ganizations that work to prevent and respond arrest and convict those responsible for the strous event in the history of the modem to sexual assault and domestic violence, the genocide of more than eleven million innocent world. Though he weighed only 100 Ibs when need for this legislation is also recognized people, including six million Jews and 89 of he was liberated from the notorious within the military. The Department of De- Wiesenthal’s personal relatives. Mauthausen concentration camp, Wiesenthal fense’s, DoD, own Task Force on Sexual Har- Wiesenthal’s most celebrated capture was soon began the enormous task of compiling assment and Violence at the Military Service that of , one of Hitler’s main evidence against Nazi war criminals. Academies issued a report in June 2005 engineers of his final solution. While Eich- Even before the war ended, Wiesenthal was which recommended that ‘‘Congress should mann’s wife claimed that he was dead, working with the U.S. Army to gather evidence

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