Jerusalem, Feb. 14, 2008 – U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos, who died earlier this week at the age of 80, was to receive yesterday an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Instead, the honor was presented posthumously to his wife and daughter in Washington, D.C., by Hebrew University President Menachem Magidor.

The Senate of the Hebrew University had decided in January to present the honor to Lantos for his dedication to the Jewish people and the State of Israel and his championing of human rights. He was invited to attend the university’s annual convocation on June 1 in Jerusalem to receive the degree. However, due to his poor health, it was decided that the presentation would take place in Washington. President Magidor was en route to the U.S. to present the degree to Lantos when the congressman died of cancer on Feb 11.

In a letter written in January inviting Lantos to Jerusalem to receive the honorary degree, Magidor and Hebrew University Rector Haim Rabinowitch wrote to the congressman: “With a loud and clear voice, you have spoken out against anti-Semitism; introduced legislation to support Israel; opposed businesses and governments that fund Hamas and other terrorist groups; and, most recently, spearheaded the passing of congressional resolution 152 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War and the reunification of Jerusalem.”

One of the most respected members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor to have served in the Congress. Born in Budapest , Hungary, Lantos, then a teenager, joined the resistance against the Nazi occupation of that country. He arrived in the U.S. in 1947 on an academic scholarship and went on to earn a doctorate in economics and to become a professor of economics until his election to the U.S. Congress in 1980, representing California’s 12th Congressional District, a position he held until his death. In the current Congress he held the senior position of chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Over the years he was a member of and chaired many committees and organizations concerned with Holocaust issues, Israel and human rights.

In the honorary doctorate scroll honoring him, Lantos was called “an inspiring role model of courage and dignity who has championed human rights throughout his 14 terms in office” and served as “a resolute voice against terrorism and anti-Semitism and on behalf of the U.S.-Israel relationship.”