U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) made the following statement upon the death of U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos;

“The death of Representative Tom Lantos, my esteemed colleague from California, has left a deep void in the House of Representatives.  A Holocaust survivor as a young adolescent, he referred to himself as a “penniless survivor” of Nazi brutality who became an American by choice.

“Congressman Lantos’ unlikely rise from detainment in Nazi Germany to later chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee is a story in civic responsibility that must never be forgotten.  I was privileged to have Mr. Lantos’ unique foreign policy perspectives and international affairs acumen at my disposal for legislative considerations.  We shared countless exchanges over a broad range of foreign affairs issues.

“His passion for Israel was contagious.  His pursuit of human rights for the victims of ethnic, religious, political and racial persecution was insatiable.  Tom Lantos used the harrowing experiences of his youth as an instrument to inspire reform, justice and opportunity for countless victims of the most severe forms of oppression.  A man of peace is no longer in Congress.  All of us, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and other need to come together and continue Mr. Lantos’ inimitable legacy of justice.”

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