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Last update - 11:13 03/01/2008 U.S. Rep. Lantos, only Holocaust survivor in Congress, to retire By The Associated Press Tags: Tom Lantos, Congress  Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor elected to Congress, announced on Wednesday that he will not seek re-election this year because he has cancer of the esophagus. Lantos, 79, a California Democrat and chairman of the House of R Advertisement epresentatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, is known for his dedication to human rights issues. He is serving his 14th term, after joining the House of Representatives in 1981. "It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a member of Congress," Lantos, who was born in Budapest, Hungary, said in a statement. "I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country." According to his statement, routine medical tests revealed the cancer. It did not provide additional details. In 1944, as a teenager, he was sent to a labor camp but eventually escaped. Three years later, he came to the United States on an academic scholarship. Shortly after Lantos came to Congress in 1981, he pushed for legislation granting honorary U.S. citizenship to Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg. That came nearly four decades after Wallenberg protected Lantos and other occupants of an apartment building from Nazi arrest. Throughout his congressional career, Lantos was an outspoken critic of international human rights abuses. Lantos helped win passage in 2002 of a congressional resolution authorizing the U.S. attack on Iraq that unfolded the following year. More recently, Lantos has been critical of the "U.S. involvement in the civil war in Iraq." When Democrats gained majority control of the House a year ago, Lantos used his new position as chairman of the foreign affairs panel to conduct oversight of the Iraq war, including a high-profile hearing last September on progress from the U.S. troop increase. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a fellow Californian, called Lantos "one of America's leading experts on foreign affairs and most effective advocates for human rights both at home and abroad." She added, "As the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress, he has used his position to fight for those whose voices have been silenced by hatred and oppression." He is married to Annette, his childhood sweetheart. The couple has two daughters, 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us   Diskin's faulty math Haaretz finds the Shin Bet estimate of Palestinian civilian casualties is too low. Wooing minorities The color of Barack Obama's skin has returned as an issue to the campaign.   1.   Good Riddance 21:12  |  Natallie Durson 02/01/08   2.   re #1 Natalie `Good Riddance...` 21:31  |  Colin Wright 02/01/08   3.   Human rights 21:31  |  MO 02/01/08   4.   lantos 21:56  |  ruti 02/01/08   5.   re: Good Riddance 22:01  |  dbt 02/01/08   6.   A Genuine Hero 22:31  |  MichaelF 02/01/08   7.   #3 - MO 22:34  |  MichaelF 02/01/08   8.   #1 - Natalie Durson 22:37  |  MichaelF 02/01/08   9.   he was a bit too biased towards Israel 22:40  |  Constituent 02/01/08   10.   Toeing the line 22:42  |  bobby 02/01/08   11.   Of Self Righteousness and Idiocy (1-3) 22:50  |  Ari 02/01/08   12.   # 1 Durson`s knee-jerk reaction comments from a jerk. 22:53  |  The Equalizer 02/01/08   13.   #! 00:25  |  Moshe 03/01/08   14.   AGREE with 1, 2, 3! 00:46  |  Bill 03/01/08   15.   Human Rights and Lantos 00:59  |  john 03/01/08   16.   I have very mixed emotions 01:00  |  Mark Lincoln 03/01/08   17.   First Three Disgusting Responses 01:18  |  David 03/01/08   18.   2 daughters and 17 grandchildren???? 01:24  |  Lilith 03/01/08   19.   #1 Natalie 01:29  |  Peter 03/01/08   20.   Rep. Lantos 01:50  |  Steve 03/01/08   21.   Good Riddance 01:52  |  Lee Kaplan 03/01/08   22.   lantos 02:04  |  paul almond 03/01/08   23.   excuse-me, what "human rights"? 02:43  |  nobodysacred 03/01/08   24.   It was Lantos that forced the resolution of Armenians genocide 03:10  |  e.m 03/01/08   25.   tom lantos 03:12  |  harry weiss 03/01/08   26.   Congressman put Israel first, USA 2nd - good riddance 03:13  |  1 state 03/01/08   27.   The 99% of Congress and senate are pro-Israel. Does u know why? 03:27  |  e.m 03/01/08   28.   The 99% of Congress and senate are pro-Israel. Does u know why? 03:27  |  e.m 03/01/08   29.   The 99% of Congress and senate are pro-Israel. Does u know why? 03:27  |  e.m 03/01/08   30.   Witness Modern Day Nazis Hate Lantos - Right Here on Haaretz 04:56  |  Ruth 03/01/08   31.   Lantos 04:56  |  Paul 03/01/08   32.   He put Israel ahead of his adopted country, the US 05:10  |  sal-usa 03/01/08   33.   LANTOS..REPRESENTED ISRAEL IN U.S CONGRESS 05:12  |  Al ASAD 03/01/08   34.   My prayer for a speedy recovery 05:18  |  Johnny Weintraub 03/01/08   35.   "1"&"2" so we sit idilly and see our country hijacked 05:22  |  American 03/01/08   36.   TO STEVE #4 05:25  |  Steve Beikirch 03/01/08   37.   Cold envirvorment for Jews Everywhere 06:30  |  David P 03/01/08   38.   Screw the Jew-Haters 07:35  |  David ben Avraham 03/01/08   39.   Lantos the Israel lobbyist. 09:30  |  Steve the Pals. 03/01/08   40.   # 20 he sees it all in you, ruth 09:39  |  eric 03/01/08   41.   Lantos retiring 09:42  |  Steve the Pals. 03/01/08   42.   BUT WAIT!!! HOLD IT!!! STOP RIGHT THERE!!! 10:11  |  eric 03/01/08   43.   Lantos is a Mormon 15:48  |  Edwin Resoti 03/01/08   44.   Lantos is NOT a Mormon 16:44  |  Dave 03/01/08   45.   Summary of Lantos`s Career 16:53  |  JJ 03/01/08   46.   Mormonism 19:45  |  dbt 03/01/08   47.   Nothing better to do? 20:32  |  Steve Beikirch 03/01/08   48.   Rep. Lantos 23:45  |  Sammy 03/01/08   49.   The US congress is losing an Israeli agent, how cool is that? 00:06  |  ManintheMiddle 04/01/08   50.   Some insider info 07:03  |  WB 04/01/08   51.   re: Natallie Durson Shines a Light on The Enemies of Israel 13:53  |  Efox 04/01/08   52.   re: American 13:56  |  Efox 04/01/08   53.   re: ManintheMiddle 13:59  |  Efox 04/01/08   54.   re: eric 14:09  |  Efox 04/01/08   55.   re: Steve the Pals. 14:11  |  Efox 04/01/08   56.   re: Lilith 14:17  |  Efox 04/01/08   57.   re: JJ 14:21  |  Efox 04/01/08   58.   # 57 efox makes a joke 07:58  |  eric 05/01/08   59.   re: eric 06:42  |  Efox 16/01/08

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