President Donald Trump appointed Marty Oliner, former three-term mayor of Lawrence, to the United States Holocaust Museum Council.
Oliner is co-president of Religious Zionists of America; chairman of Israel Bonds, New York region; vice president for financial resource development at the American Zionism Movement; member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations; committee member of the Jewish Agency; and chairman of the Center for Righteousness and Integrity.
Oliner was born in the Landsberg displaced persons camp, which was located near Munich, in the American zone. His family immigrated to the United States shortly after the war and settled in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where Marty attended Yeshiva Chaim Berlin. Afterward, Marty attended BTA and was the first member of his family to graduate high school. He attended law school, developed a successful law practice and is a well-known philanthropist.
Oliner is married to Reva, they have three children and nine grandchildren.
“The goal is to educate both Americans and American Jews about the horrors of the holocaust,” remarked Oliner. “European fascism and antisemitism are growing at an alarming rate — driving thousands of Jews out of their homes to seek sanctuary in the United States and in Israel. As a member of the board of the U.S. Holocaust Museum and as a child of Holocaust survivors, I need to spread the idea of “Never Forget.”
President Trump also nominated Richard Grenell, a former ambassador to Germany and outspoken Israel advocate, and Susan Levine of Arizona, who has been a major donor to the museum.
Grenell, who also has been outspoken in his efforts to isolate Iran, has been close to the pro-Israel community since serving as the spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations under George W. Bush.
As ambassador to Germany, a role he assumed in 2018, one of Grenell’s first acts was to aggressively press Germany and Europe to enhance sanctions on Iran and its proxies. He also played a role in deporting Nazi Jakiw Palij to Germany.
The Council, which meets twice a year, consists of 55 members appointed by the president, as well as five members each from the Senate and House of Representatives and three ex-officio members from the Departments of Education, Interior, and State. Presidential appointments serve for a five-year term.
Source: 5TJT Staff and JTA
