When the headline came across my email the other day that Tom Lantos would be retiring from Congress after serving for 27 years, my immediate reaction was one of sorrow. Although most American Jews don’t even know his name, Congressman Lantos has etched out for himself an important spot in history as the only Holocaust Survivor to ever serve in the U.S. Congress. From the ashes of the Shoah, Lantos came to America and brought with him the fighting spirit that he embodied during World War II as part of the underground resistance movement trying to defeat the Nazis. He immigrated to America and fought to build a life for himself and his family; he succeeded tremendously, rising to one of the highest offices in the land. He served his country proudly and helped to create a new image of Judaism in America, a Judaism that would not succumb to the destruction of Hitler but would redefine itself as a people and as a religion pursuing the cause of justice for all peoples, regardless of their religion. As the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, I grew up with the memory of the Shoah all around me, pervading every aspect of my life. I was blessed to have grandparents who fought for a better life in America for their children and their children’s children. What an example Congressman Lantos has made by showing us that it’s possible to fight not only fight for a better life for your family, but also for the Jewish community at large. Thank you, Congressman Lantos, for your years of service and for serving as a model of what Jewish renewal in this country can be. I wish you a r’fuah sh’leimah.