World Jewish Congress mourns passing of French politician and Holocaust survivor Simone Veil

NEW YORK - The World Jewish Congress mourns the passing of Simone Veil, a Holocaust survivor and outstanding French politician, who died on June 30 at the age of 89. 

Ahead of the official state ceremony held Wednesday in Veil’s memory, WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said: “The World Jewish Congress stands with President Emmanuel Macron, the French Jewish community, and the French people as a whole today as they mourn the passing of Simone Veil, an imitable activist who worked tirelessly to defend the values of life and liberty on behalf of European society.” 
 
“Simone Veil survived the horrors of Auschwitz, as her parents and brother perished in the Nazi death camps, and the experience of that atrocity defined her life’s path as a champion of human rights, rather than victim of suffering. She was an unforgettable personality, whose advocacy against oppression and for the rights of women changed the French landscape and beyond.

“She was one of France’s most popular and trusted politicians, and as first woman president of the European parliament, she also dedicated herself to the crucial goal of promoting continental unity.
 
“Veil sought endlessly to preserve the memory of the Holocaust, warn against the dangers of the far-right, and fought to support the victims of genocide and crimes against humanity, keenly identifying with their plight as a survivor of genocide herself.
 
“As a Jew and a Holocaust survivor, whose political career unfolded at a turbulent moment in history, she understood that freedom cannot be taken for granted, and she committed every ounce of her influence to enshrining the merits of freedom and justice for the French people and for all Europeans.”