Speech #1140040593

Despite having faced incredible adversity. the Rozenfeld family. with the help of the heroic Aristides de Sousa Mendes. survived and managed to thrive. embodying the very ethos of the American dream. After Aristides de Sousa Mendes died in disgrace in 1954. his name was largely forgotten. Many of the refugees whose lives he had singlehandedly saved were scattered around the world. Yet after decades of hard work by his children. and with support from Congress. the Portuguese diplomat eventually came to be known internationally as a hero. Named by Israel in 1966 as Righteous Among the Nations. he would later be honored in his native Portugal. where Portugals president Mario Soares declared him "Portugals greatest hero of the twentieth century." In 2004. after reparations were paid to his family and his name restored. celebrations were held in over thirty nations to commemorate Sousa Mendes on the fiftieth anniversary of his death. Aristides de Sousa Mendes recorded the names and visa numbers of the individuals he granted visas to in a ledger book which now lies in the Portuguese Foreign Ministry in Lisbon. I recently viewed images of Sousa Mendes list. and. although to some it may appear only as names and numbers. to me it represents promise and hope for the Jewish people and the heroism of one exceptionally brave man. The story of the Rozenfelds flight from Nazi persecution. the righteous actions taken by Aristides de Sousa Mendes. and the Rozenfelds successful passage and settlement in America is important to recognize. I am deeply grateful for Sousa Mendes and his actions. which allowed Stefan and thousands of other refugees to escape the evils of the Nazis and live a life of freedom and promise. I am pleased to be able to share the story of the Rozenfelds perseverance and courage. of Sousa Mendes heroic actions. of a case of the United States fulfilling its role as a haven. affording refugees welcome and freedom. and of the refugees contributing their energy and industry to the United States. with the House of Representatives today. I wish Stefan Rozenfeld and his family well as they celebrate this historic anniversary.