WASHINGTON – Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) and Co-Chairman Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), issued the following statement on the passing of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos, the only survivor of the Holocaust to serve in the United States Congress:
“It is with a heavy heart that we express our profound sympathies and deepest condolences to Congressman Lantos’ wife Annette, and his children and grandchildren. Tom was a great man of courage and intellect. As the only Holocaust survivor in the U.S. Congress, he fought to bring attention to the fight for human rights, combating anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance. His extraordinary commitment to his constituents, to the Congress, and the people of this great nation will never be forgotten. While his life has so sadly come to an end, his legacy of inclusion and tolerance will forever endure in the halls of Congress,” said Hastings and Cardin.
