Language:
German
Year of publication:
2009
Titel der Quelle:
Tribüne; Zeitschrift zum Verständnis des Judentums
Angaben zur Quelle:
191 (2009) 158-164
Keywords:
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Rescue
Abstract:
Discusses the contributions of three diplomats to the rescue of Jews during the Holocaust. Aristides de Sousa Mendes, Portugal's General Consul in Bordeaux in 1939-40, rescued 10,000 Jewish refugees in France by granting them visas, against President Salazar's orders. In summer 1940 he even travelled to Bayonne twice to provide papers for fleeing Jews who wanted to cross over into Spain. Constantin Karadja, while serving as Romanian General Consul in Berlin in 1931-41, pleaded for the rescue of Jews of Romanian citizenship and managed to stop plans to stamp the letter "J" on their passports. As head of the department for consulary affairs at the Romanian foreign ministry between 1941-44, Karadja rescued 4,000 Romanian Jews from Vichy France and 51,000 Hungarian Jews from deportation by securing them shelter in Romania during their transit to a safe destination. The Japanese General Consul in Kaunas in 1939-40, Chiune Sugihara, issued 2,000 visas against his government's explicit orders, thereby rescuing 10,000 Jews. All three diplomats were honored by Yad Vashem with the title of Righteous among the Nations.
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