VOC highlights the tragic and powerful stories of victims of communism through our award-winning Witness Project video and podcast series. Today, we are proud to present the newest episode of the Witness Project Podcast, featuring Rep. Ben Toma, who represents the people of Arizona after escaping communist surveillance in Ceaușescu’s Romania.  After communists took power in Romania, Ben Toma’s family land was confiscated by the regime. The communist secret police, the Securitate, would eventually surveil the Toma home and daily lives because of their religious faith. Fearing for the safety of their children, Toma’s parents escaped communism in 1986 — it would be a year before Ben and his three siblings would join their parents in the United States.

Today, Rep. Ben Toma is Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives. His experience under the Ceaușescu regime taught him the consequences of communism and the importance of freedom.