Naming a post office in Delray Beach, Fla., after Benjamin Berell Ferencz, a Jewish lawyer who prosecuted Nazis during the Nuremberg trials, is an effort to “not only remember the man” but also to “reaffirm the values he stood for: justice, human dignity and the courage to speak out against hate,” Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) stated.
Speaking alongside local leaders, Jewish representatives, U.S. Postal Service officials and Ferencz’s daughter, Nina Dale, at a ceremony on Monday, the congresswoman said that the renaming comes after “two horrific acts of antisemitic violence,” in Washington, D.C., and Boulder, Colo.
Having “devoted his life to combating antisemitism and advancing international law,” Ferencz’s “legacy is more urgent and inspiring than ever,” she said.
“May the Benjamin Berell Ferencz Post Office be a lasting symbol of those values—a place that reminds us all to stand firm against antisemitism and all forms of hatred and division,” she said. “That’s something we should all commit to, and hopefully everyone who walks through that door feels the same way.”
In 2022, Frankel led a successful effort to award Ferencz, a longtime resident of Palm Beach County, a Congressional Gold Medal.
“Mr. Ferencz’s life was a masterclass in courage, justice and humanity,” she said on Monday. “During World War II, Benjamin served in the U.S. Army and was later assigned to gather evidence of Nazi war crimes. That mission led him to the gates of concentration camps, where he witnessed unspeakable horrors.”
At just 27 years old, he won his first case, prosecuting 22 high-ranking Nazi officials.
“This was considered the largest murder trial in history and began to lay the foundation for modern international law,” the congresswoman said.
