Holocaust survivor from Rockville among guests invited to State of the Union Address

A Holocaust survivor from Rockville, Maryland will be a guest at Tuesday’s State of the Union Address, the White House announced.

Ruth Cohen, who lived through the Holocaust, is now a volunteer at the United States Holocaust Museum.

The White House said that during the Nazi regime, Cohen and her family were forced from their home, and later on, she was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Cohen was liberated in 1945 and immigrated to the United States three years later.

According to the White House, in 2022, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff met Cohen prior to International Holocaust Remembrance Day to raise awareness about the history and dangers of antisemitism.

Cohen will be a special guest of Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. She will be seated in the box with First Lady Jill Biden and Emhoff.

The State of the Union starts at 9 p.m.

The White House announced Tuesday who will be joining first lady Dr. Jill Biden in her viewing box, and the guest list serves as a road map to the initiatives rolled out by Mr. Biden so far and his priorities for the coming months. Lawmakers can also bring one person as a guest.

Here are the notable people expected to attend Tuesday night as guests of members of Congress or the first lady:

Tyre Nichols’ family

The Congressional Black Caucus first invited Tyre Nichols’ family to the president’s address, and the White House announced his mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells will sit in the first lady’s box.

Vice President Kamala Harris attended the funeral for the 29-year-old man who died after his violent arrest by Memphis police. Mr. Biden has spoken with Nichols’ family, and called the video of the attack on him “outrageous.”

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States

Like last year, when Mr. Biden addressed Congress days after Russia invaded Ukraine, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova will join the first lady as her guest for the State of the Union “in recognition of sustained U.S. support for Ukraine,” the White House said.

Bono

Bono, the lead singer of U2, was invited by the first lady as recognition for his activism fighting HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty. The White House highlighted Bono’s work with PEPFAR, which was announced by former President George W. Bush in his State of the Union speech two decades ago, and the ONE Campaign.

The “Good Samaritan” who called 911 for Rep. Greg Steube

GOP Rep. Greg Steube, 44, is still recovering from a 25-foot fall from a ladder at his Florida home. But he’s inviting Darrell Woodie, an Amazon delivery driver who dialed 911 for him, to the State of the Union as his special guest.

Steube sustained serious injuries and was placed in intensive care after the incident, but has since been able to return home to continue his recovery.

The man who disarmed the Monterey Park gunman

Brandon Tsay, the man who disarmed the suspect who allegedly killed 11 people in Monterey Park, California, shooting last month, will be the guest of the first lady. Tsay disarmed the man at a second location after the shooting, and the White House praised him for preventing the gunman from carrying out another attack.

Volunteer firefighter who responded to 9/11 terror attacks

Embattled Rep. George Santos, a New York Republican, announced his guest for the State of the Union will be Michael Weinstock, a volunteer firefighter and EMT who responded to Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2001. In the days after the attack, he also helped clear rubble and search for survivors, working alongside firefighters on the “bucket brigade.”

In 2021, Weinstock was diagnosed with neuropathy, a condition with no known cure. He is encouraging the World Trade Center Health Program to add neuropathy as a covered condition.

Officer who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s office said former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonnell will be her guest Tuesday night. His presence will emphasize the ongoing impact of the Jan. 6., 2021, assault on the Capitol.

Gonell, who defended the Capitol against the attackers, remembers hearing cries claiming that he was not an American, and that he was a traitor. Gonnell has been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Carnegie Corporation has honored him as a “Great Immigrant,” but he has long dealt with the physical and psychological pain from that day two years ago.

Holocaust survivor Ruth Cohen

Cohen is a guest of second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, who has spoken out forcefully against antisemitism and embarked on a six-day trip overseas last month to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Emhoff is the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president.

His guest, Cohen, was sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp after she and her family were forced from their home. She was liberated in 1945 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1948.

Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s husband

Sitting in the first lady’s viewing box will be Paul Pelosi, the husband of the former House speaker. Paul Pelosi, 82, was attacked in late October at their San Francisco home and suffered a fractured skull and injuries to his arms and hands.

Video of the attack was made public last month showing the assault by the alleged attacker, David DePape. Police said DePape intended to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and told officers he wanted to “break her kneecaps.” According to court filings, DePape asked “where’s Nancy?” when he confronted Paul Pelosi.

Former NBA player Enes Freedom

Enes Freedom, a former NBA center who has spoken out against human rights abuses, will attend the State of the Union as a guest of Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Freedom, who changed his last name from Kanter in 2021, was raised in Turkey and moved to the U.S. at the age of 17. A vocal critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Freedom also sought to raise awareness of China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims. He pushed for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator.”

More From The Banner

The developer of Harborplace bought 128 rowhomes in East Baltimore

One Baltimore County developer is pouring big money into local politics

Larry Lucchino, visionary behind Camden Yards construction, dies at 78

Dundalk was a steel town. When the Key Bridge fell, so did its legacy.