Bill Text: VA SJR336 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Commending Frank Shatz.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-02-08 - Agreed to by House by voice vote [SJR336 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2021-SJR336-Introduced.html
WHEREAS, Frank Shatz, longtime columnist at The Virginia Gazette and a heroic Holocaust survivor, has inspired countless citizens of the Commonwealth with stories from his remarkable life; and
WHEREAS, a teenager living in Czechoslovakia at the outset of World War II and the Holocaust, Frank Shatz was imprisoned in a slave labor camp in Romania before bravely escaping to Budapest, Hungary, where he was part of the underground anti-Nazi movement; and
WHEREAS, after the liberation of Europe, Frank Shatz worked as a foreign correspondent in Prague, covering Eastern European politics for newspapers in Hungary; and
WHEREAS, taking refuge in the United States in 1958, Frank Shatz and his wife, Jaroslava, would live for several years in Lake Placid, New York, before settling in Williamsburg, where they have lived for the past four decades; and
WHEREAS, for 38 years, Frank Shatz has served as an international affairs columnist for The Virginia Gazette in Williamsburg, drawing a loyal audience that is appreciative of his astute insights and compelling prose; in 2012, he also published Reports from a Distant Place, a compilation of selected columns and anecdotes from his life; and
WHEREAS, Frank Shatz has served as a lecturer at The College of William and Mary for many years, offering students and faculty of history an indispensable first-person account of the Holocaust and post-war period; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, Frank Shatz reconnected with Erika Fabian, a family member who had been unjustly imprisoned in Bratislava, Slovakia, during the Cold War and who was only released upon his courageous intercession, which led to a heartwarming reunion that was chronicled by multiple newspapers, including The Washington Post; and
WHEREAS, Frank Shatz has recently given public talks about his life experiences at The College of William and Mary, leaving all attendees with a greater understanding of both World War II and the Holocaust and the philosophies that have helped him remain positive in spite of the traumas he has endured throughout his life; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Frank Shatz, a distinguished columnist and heroic Holocaust survivor whose stories and wisdom have touched innumerable lives; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Frank Shatz as an expression of the General Assembly's profound admiration for his contributions to the Commonwealth.
