NCSJ - 02.11.2008

NCSJ Mourns Passing of Congressman Lantos

Holocaust survivor, Soviet Jewry's friend dies at 80

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- NCSJ mourns the passing of Congressman Tom Lantos, who died today of esophageal cancer, at age 80.

A member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1980, Lantos was a champion of Jewish interests and human rights. He and his wife were instrumental in the fight to free Soviet Jewry in the 1980s. Lantos founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus (CHRC) in 1983, and recently served as chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.

“As a Holocaust survivor, he provided a unique perspective and was able to articulate a commitment to human rights that few others could,” said NCSJ Executive Director Mark Levin.

“Through his work on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the CHRC, Congress was deeply impacted by his tenure. His focus on human rights forever changed how the U.S. government responds to modern tragedies. Human rights activists will miss his presence, but he will not be forgotten.”

NCSJ: Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States & Eurasia, founded in 1971, represents the organized American Jewish community in monitoring and advocating on behalf of the estimated 1.5 million Jews living in the 15 successor states of the former Soviet Union.

Links
Washington Post	At Memorial Service, Lantos Praised as 'Champion of Our Common Humanity'
NY Jewish Week	Why Lantos Mattered
Forward	Mourning a Lost Son
Forward	Congress' Sole Shoah Survivor, Dies at 80
Washington Post	Lantos' Lifelong Fight Against Tyranny
Washington Post	Calif. Congressman and Holocaust Survivor Lantos, 80
NY Times	Lantos, 80, Is Dead; Longtime Congressman
JTA	Lantos leaves behind human rights legacy
U.S. Speaker of the House	Pelosi Statement on Passing of Chairman  Lantos
U.S. Capitol	Feb. 14 memorial service - video
U.S. Congress honors Lantos	House resolution   Senate resolution
U.S. Senate tributes	Sens. Reid, McConnell, Hatch and Feinstein, Boxer, Durbin
U.S. House tributes	on February 12, February 13, and in Extended Remarks
NY Jewish Week	Lantos Helped Lead Soviet Jewry Struggle
JTA	Rep. Tom Lantos To Leave Congress