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Congressman Rothman Introduces Resolution Honoring 100th Anniversary of Holocaust Hero Varian Fry's Birth

Download a copy of Rep. Rothman's resolution (H.Res.743) here.

PHOTO BY JERRY SZUBIN, NEW JERSEY JEWISH STANDARD. Acting Postmaster Mary Ellen Murray shows Rep. Rothman the Varian Fry stamp used in the cancellation.

(Washington, DC)—Today, on what would have been the 100th birthday of Varian Fry, a Holocaust hero from Ridgewood, NJ, Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) introduced a Resolution honoring Fry and his courage. During World War II, Varian Fry saved the lives of 2,000 Jews and other anti-Nazi refugees in Occupied France. Among those he rescued were 200 of the brightest scholars in the fields of art, science, literature and medicine, including the painters Marc Chagall and Max Ernst, the political scientist Hannah Arendt, and Nobel-Prize winning biochemist Otto Meyerhof.

"Whereas Varian Mackey Fry, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, embodied the spirit of American heroism and demonstrated personal bravery of the highest order during the Holocaust… be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors Varian Fry on the 100th anniversary of his birth," reads the Resolution.

Rothman says he introduced this legislation to build on a years-long public education campaign first launched in New Jersey by the Ridgewood Committee to Honor Varian Fry and then magnified by the New Jersey Jewish Standard.

"When brutality and evil were confronting others, Varian Fry stepped in and saved the innocent, and in doing so proved that one person can make a difference. Fry was just one individual, but thanks to his actions, thousands of people were rescued from the genocidal Nazi regime. I hope that this Resolution will help more Americans learn about our local hero and inspire them to help others. Varian Fry's legacy teaches us that no matter how grim and terrifying the world, it is essential that good people take action to aid and protect their fellow human beings," said Rothman.

The Varian Fry Centennial Resolution outlines and enters into the Congressional Record Fry's numerous acts of bravery, which were recently featured in a three-part series published by the New Jersey Jewish Standard. The Committee to Honor Varian Fry has also organized events surrounding Fry's birthday to highlight his achievements and educate Northern New Jersey residents about them. Most notably, Acting Ridgewood Postmaster, Mary Ellen Murray, last week unveiled a special postal marking to be applied to processed mail. It features a picture of Fry and the words "Varian Fry - Celebrating 100 years of his birth, October 15, 1907, to 2007."

Congressman Rothman paid tribute to Fry at the announcement of Ridgewood's cancellation stamp, having also authored legislation in 2006 and 2007 to urge the United States Postal Service to issue a nationally available commemorative stamp in honor of Varian Fry.

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