New York, NY, February 11, 2008 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) mourns the loss of U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-CA, a Holocaust survivor whose leadership in Congress in working to preserve human rights for all, and whose stalwart efforts to ensure the security of Israel and Jewish communities around the world, will be sorely missed.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

Tom Lantos survived the worst example of man's inhumanity against man and went on to embody the greatest ideals of humanity and service to the cause of human rights.
 
He transformed his own painful experience during the Holocaust into a lifelong commitment to preserving the dignity and security of the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and to fighting for the human rights of all.  His efforts to secure fair treatment for oppressed minorities whose plight was ignored or forgotten were a cornerstone of his service in Congress.

Lantos founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, which has for 25 years placed issues of political, religious, ethnic and racial persecution around the world on the agenda of Congress and at the forefront of U.S. policy.  More recently, at a time when anti-Semitism was resurgent globally, he took a prominent leadership role, spearheading the Congressional Task Force Against Anti-Semitism and legislation such as the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act and calling on governments to speak out against any manifestation of hate against the Jewish people.

Congressman Lantos will be sorely missed in the halls of Congress by members on both sides of the aisle for whom he led the charge on so many issues of conscience.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.