Helen Suzman died today, at the age of 91. For 36 years Ms. Suzman served in the all white South African Parliament, where for a time she was the sole member of the Progressive Party, and the sole opponent of Apartheid. She visited Nelson Mandela many times in prison, and was at his side when, as President, he signed the Constitution of 1996 making all South Africans equal without distinction as to race.
Ms. Suzman was a great South African, and a fearless champion of human freedom. As a fellow Jew, she made me proud to be a Jew. In the words of the Hebrew Prayer for the deceased, El Maleh Rachamim, May her soul be bound up in the bond of life. The Lord is her portion, may she rest in peace. And let us say Amen.