Buenos Aires (EFE).- Vera Vigevani Jarach, a leading figure in the Madres de Plaza de Mayo Linea Fundadora organization, and a representative figure in the fight for human rights whose daughter disappeared during Argentina’s last military dictatorship (1976–1983), passed away on Friday in Buenos Aires at the age of 97.
“The Mothers are saddened to announce the passing of our beloved companion, Vera Jarach. Our hearts lack the strength to recount now what her life was like, full of values and a firm commitment to honoring her daughter Franca’s memory, seeking truth and justice,” reported the president of Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, Linea Fundadora, Taty Almeida, in a statement on Friday.
Jarach, of Jewish origin, was born in Milan on Mar. 5, 1928, and arrived in Argentina in 1939 with her family aboard the ship Augustus, fleeing Italian fascism.
“I was still a girl, but when I arrived, my childhood ended,” she recounted in interviews about the trip. Her grandfather was murdered in Auschwitz.
Decades later, on Jun. 25, 1976, her 18-year-old daughter Franca was kidnapped by the Argentine military dictatorship. According to her mother’s account, Franca was one of the victims of the so-called “death flights.”
Jarach worked as a journalist for the Italian news agency ANSA; however, after Franca’s disappearance, she dedicated her life to activism for memory and justice.
In 1977, Jarach joined the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo and organized tributes at the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, where her daughter had been active in the Union of Secondary Students (UES) in 1973.
The UES was a political organization for secondary school students founded in 1953 by Armando Méndez San Martín, who was the Minister of Education under Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón (1946-1955) at the time.
Vera Jarach also served on the board of the Space for Memory and Human Rights (formerly the ESMA) and was one of the founders of the Park of Memory “to remember those who have no grave.”
Her phrase, “Silence never again,” became a rallying cry. “It’s about not being silent. It’s about denouncing. There’s no guarantee with that, but there is hope,” Jarach said.
“Vera, my sister, you are part of us, and you will be with us every step of the way, as well as with those who follow. Franca’s smile will continue to inspire many young people. We love you,” her companions wrote in a statement.
Jarach will be laid to rest on Friday at the Buenos Aires City Legislature. EFE
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