Lawrence resident Martin Oliner appointed to Holocaust council

A son of Holocaust survivors who spent time in a displaced persons camp was appointed by President Donald Trump to the board that supports the United States Holocaust Museum in Washinton, D.C.

Martin Oliner, 73, who was mayor of Lawrence village from 2010 to 2016 and is involved with several Jewish organizations, begins the five-year term on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council with 10 other new members.

Oliner, a co-president of the Religious Zionists of America and a vice president of the American Zionist Movement, also shares his time with the Center for Righteousness and Integrity, the Hebrew Free Loan Society, Israel Bonds, New York Medical College, Touro College and World Mizrachi.

He also has written articles for the Jerusalem Post and other Jewish publications, and taught at Touro and New York law school. “I enjoy what I do,” he said about all his philanthropic activities. “I learned from my parents how important it is to give back.”

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council was established by Congress in 1980 to lead the nation in commemorating the Holocaust and to raise private donations for the Holocaust Memorial Museum. After the museum opened in 1993, the council became the governing board of trustees of the museum, an independent establishment of the federal government operating as a public-private partnership which receives federal money to support the museum.

Consisting of 55 members, all appointed by the president, along with five members from the Senate and House of Representatives and three ex-officio members from the federal Departments of Education, Interior and State, the council meets twice a year. The Executive Committee meets four times a year. Work is performed mainly through committees. Appointed members terms are five years and 11 members terms expire each year.

Oliner said his goal is to continue battling anti-Semitism and the growing global extremism. Waking up at 7:30 a.m. and working until 1:30 a.m., has been his routine since the Covid-19 pandemic began, he said. “I am very passionate about the things I am involved in and a huge proponent of education,” said Oliner, who along with Dr. Bernard Lander and other others was instrumental in building Touro College “from nothing to a billion dollar institution.” 

Growing up in Brooklyn, graduating from high school, college and law school, being successful and serving as a civic leader, he was also a village trustee before becoming mayor, Oliner is a proponent of the American dream. “There is nothing like nothing like America, and anyone who denigrates this country just does not appreciate it,” he said.

State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, a Democrat who represents the Five Towns, noted Oliner’s local government service and volunteerism. “Mayor Oliner led the Village of Lawrence and Religious Zionists of America with distinction, while working tirelessly to further strengthen ties between America and Israel,”  Kaminsky said in a news release. “We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber in our community, and wish him much success in his latest post, ensuring that Americans honor the memories of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.”