Pierre-François Veil, Son of Simone Veil, Dies at 72

Pierre-François Veil, a lawyer who worked to pass on the memory of the Holocaust, died on Wednesday night at the age of 72. He was the youngest son of Simone Veil, a Holocaust survivor who later served as a government minister, president of the European Parliament and was inducted into the Panthéon in 2018.

His mother defended the 1974 law that legalized abortion in France while serving as health minister under President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Born on March 16, 1954, Pierre-François Veil was named after a character in Marcel Carné's 1945 film "Les Enfants du Paradis," which his mother admired.

He followed his older brothers Jean, born in 1947, and Claude-Nicolas, born in 1948.

Connection to the Veil Family Name The Veil name, acquired through the marriage of Antoine and Simone, née Jacob, guided his life. Both the Veil and Jacob families were victims of the Holocaust. The name became associated with Franco-German reconciliation, the European ideal and the history of the Holocaust.

Simone Veil's political career included multiple ministerial positions and leadership in the European Parliament. Her work on abortion law reform in 1974 and her later recognition in French school curricula contributed to the name's prominence. Le Monde reported that Pierre-François Veil believed knowledge and remembrance serve as safeguards against intolerance and hatred.

He embraced the mission of transmitting the memory of the Holocaust throughout his life. His death was announced on Thursday morning. No further details about the cause or funeral arrangements were provided in the initial report.