FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR- 005-08 January 6, 2008 STATEMENT BY MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ON THE DEATH OF RABBI SHMUEL BIRNBAUM "Today we lost Rabbi Shmuel Birnbaum, who led the Mir Yeshiva for nearly 50 years and built it into one of the largest centers for Torah study in the world. A Holocaust refugee who, as a young man, sought shelter in Shanghai from Nazi persecution, Rabbi Birnbaum's love of learning and wealth of wisdom will live on through his tens of thousands of students worldwide. May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem." MEDIA CONTACT: Stu Loeser   (212) 788-2958