The World Jewish Congress mourns the passing of former President of the French Republic Jacques Chirac, who spearheaded his country’s reckoning with its role in the Holocaust. Chirac passed away last Saturday September 6.
“Jacques Chirac was a true tour de force among European leaders, taking it upon himself to deal with his country’s past and recognize France’s dark history in aiding Nazi Germany in the oppression and murder of Jews during the Holocaust,” said WJC President Ronald S. Lauder. “Mr. Chirac understood that burying these crimes ran in direct contradiction to the essential values of liberté, égalité, and fraternité upon which the French Republic was founded.”
“The World Jewish Congress, and I personally, will always remember Mr. Chirac as a friend of the Jewish people and as a champion of democracy and national unity,” Lauder said. “May his memory be a blessing, and his legacy emulated for years to come.”