Organizations Involved in Holocaust Rescue - Part 6 (O-R)

 

A-B          C-D          E-H           I           J-N          O-R           S           T-V          W-Z

 

Note: +arrested; †tortured; *killed; ●Righteous Among the Nations (honored by the State of Israel)

 

The Oberlaender Trust of Philadelphia, USA


Oeuvre Nationale de l’Enfance (ONE), see National Children’s Committee, Belgium


Oeuvre National de Service Social aux Familles de Militaires, see also Aide aux Abandonnés (Brachfeld, 1997; Moore, 2010, p. 289)

Ran children’s homes that helped Jewish children.

George Rhodius, director, founder, Aide aux Abandonnés (Brachfeld, 1997)


Oeuvre des Prisons de Lyon, Lyon France


Office for Religious War Relief, Caritas Association (Catholic), Freiburg, Germany, established 1939 (Gutman, 2007, pp. 121-122)

Smuggled German Jews to Switzerland.  Worked with Rabbi Leo Baeck of the Reich Union of the Jews in Germany.  Luckner was caught, arrested and deported to the Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany.  She survived and was liberated on May 3, 1945.

Archbishop Contrad Gröber

Gertrud Luckner●+ (b. 1900), leader, awarded Righteous Among the Nations title (Yad Vashem Archives)


Offices Néerlandais (Netherland Offices), France, see also Association for the Relief of Netherlander Refugees, France, Netherlands Government-in-Exile (De Jong, 1969-1988, vol. 9, pp. 23-24; Moore, 2010, p. 28)

Created by Dutch Consul General Arie Sevenster to serve as de facto consular office to help Dutch citizens stranded in France during the war.  Its offices in Perpignan and Toulouse helped refugees escape to Spain. 

Toulouse Office:

J. A. van Dobben+

Perpignan Office:

Joseph Kolkman


Office of Foreign Relief and Rehabilition Operations (OFFRO), USA

Founded 1942, Affialiated with US State Department

Govenor H.H. Lehman, Director


Onderdvikers (“Divers”), see National Organization for Assistance to Divers, The Netherlands


ONE, see National Children’s Committee (Oeuvre Nationale de l’Enfance), Belgium


Organizacja Bojowa PPS, see Combat Group of the PPS, Poland


Organizzazione Sacerdotale Cattolica per l’Aiuto al Ricercati (OSCAR), Italy rescue network, saved 106 Jews (Gutman, 2007, p. 404)

Father Dante Sala●+ (b. 1905), San Marino Supino di Mirandola

Odoardo Focherini●


Orphanage of Liptovsky Svaty Mikulas

Father Vladamir Kuna (Catholic)


Our Lady of Zion (Notre Dame de Zion), Belgium


Leendert Overduin Rescue Network, see Enschede Jewish Council


Panama, Consulate, Mareseilles, France

Mssr. Figuière, Honorary Consul for Panama in Marseilles, 1940-41

The Panamanian Honorary Consul in Marseilles was a French shipping agent by the name of Figuière.  He provided Panamanian visa stamps to refugees as a means of escaping Vichy France.  Hans and Lisa Fittko, refugees, obtained Panamanian visas from the honorary consul.  They stated in Lisa Fittko’s autobiography that he “sells” these visas for the price of a salami.  It was clear that no one was going to Panama on these visas.  (Fry, Varian. Surrender on Demand. (New York: Random House, 1945), pp. 82-83.  Fittko, Lisa, translated by David Koblick. Escape through the Pyrénées. (Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1991), pp. 165-166.)


Lillana (Lily) Panitza+*, warned Bulgarian leaders of the impending deportation of Bulgarian Jews in 1943 (Chary, 1972, pp. 56, 90-91,145, 151, 180; Zohar, 1998, pp. 76, 82-83, 179-180, 185, 217)


Party of Action (Partito d’Azione;Pd’A) Founded Jan. 1943 Milan, Italy. Part of Committee of National Liberation


Peasants Battalions (BCH), Poland, helped Jews (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 63)


Father Joseph Peeters Rescue Network, Comblain-au-Pont, Belgium (YV M31/1362a [Joseph Peeters]; Lombard)

Father Joseph Peeters●+*, Curé of Comblain-auPort, Belgium, secretary, local Winter Help.  Hid 400 Jews on local farms, provided Jews with papers.  Arrested in December 1942.  Executed in Liège, Belgium, on August 31, 1944.


P.E.N. American Center, New York, NY, USA (Chute, Marchette. P.E.N. American Center: A History of the First Fifty Years. New York: 1972, pp. 14-46.  P.E.N. American Center Archives, records 1922-date.)


People’s Army (AL; Armia Ludowa), Poland; military wing of Polish Communist Party


People’s Guard (Gwarda Ludovwa), Poland, established April 1943


Persoonsbewijzen Central (PBC), see Federation for Identity Cards


Peruvian Embassy, Rome, Italy

Peruvian Representative to the Holy See (Vatican), 1942

The Peruvian representative to the Holy See sent a message to Pope Pius XII asking him to publicly condemn Nazi atrocities being perpetrated in German-occupied areas of Europe.  (Tittmann, Harold H., Jr., Harold H. Tittmann III (Ed.). Inside the Vatican of Pius XII: The Memoir of an American Diplomat During World War II. (New York: Image Books Doubleday, 2004), pp. 117-118.)


Petterson Rescue Network, Ostfold, Norway (YV M31/10565 Oscar & Frieda Sjolie; testimony of Irene Levin, 27 March 2007; Mendelsohn; Moore, 2010, pp. 79-80; Ulstein)

Norwegian policeman Alf Tollef Pettersen rescued an estimated 1,000 people by smuggling them out of Norway.  Several hundred of them were Norwegian Jews.  His rescue operation took place between October 1942 and md-January 1943.  He later escaped to Sweden to avoid arrest.

Alf Tollef Pettersen, policeman


Pharmacie Nouvelle, Yugoslavia


Philippine Government

Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippines

Manuel L. Quezon was the first President of the Philippines after the establishment of the Philippine Republic in 1935.  He allowed more than 1,200 German and Austrian Jews to come to the Philippines as refugees in the late 1930s.  The Philippines was still an American protectorate.  Quezon was convinced by American Jewish manufacturer Alex Frieder that Jewish refugees would contribute to the Philippine economy.  (Feingold, Henry. The Politics of Rescue: The Roosevelt Administration and the Holocaust, 1938-1944. (New Brunswick, NJ:(New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1970), p. 98.)

Paul V. McNutt, American High Commissioner for the Philippines, 1938-1939

Paul V. McNutt was the American High Commission for the Philippines, 1938-1939.  In August 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt asked McNutt whether the Philippines could admit 200 Jewish refugee families.  McNutt stated, “We think it would be possible for them to absorb…2,000 families and possibly 5,000 more families thereafter.”  Further, McNutt thought that Jews could be sent to the Philippine island of Mindanao.  McNutt was able to convince the US State Department to allow more than 1,200 German and Austrian Jewish refugees to find sanctuary in the Philippines.  At this time, the Philippines was still an American protectorate.  McNutt was convinced by American Jew Alex Frieder that these Jewish refugees would be an asset to the Philippine economy.  Philippine President Manuel Quezon was also convinced to let the Jews enter.  (Feingold, Henry. The Politics of Rescue: The Roosevelt Administration and the Holocaust, 1938-1944. (New Brunswick, NJ:(New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1970), p. 98.)

Alex Frieder

Alex Frieder was a Jewish cigar manufacturer from Cincinnati, Ohio, who was living in Manila in the Philippines in the late 1930s.  Frieder cajoled American High Commissioner of the Philippines Paul V. McNutt and Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon to let in Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria.  Through his efforts and those of his three brothers, approximately 1,200 German/Austrian Jews found sanctuary in the Philippines.  American Philippine High Commissioner McNutt was then able to convince the US State Department to admit 1,000 Jews a year to the Philippine Department.  Alex Frieder convinced Philippine president Manuel Quezon that Jewish refugees would contribute to the Philippine community and economy.  Alex Frieder and his brother, along with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, arranged for visas, jobs and housing for the Jewish refugees.


Philips Electrical Concern Rescue Action, Einhoven, Netherlands (NIOD HSSpF 147/235 Zentralstelle fur Judische Auswanderung; Klein, 2003)

The Philips Electrical Concern protected its Jewish workers from arrest and deportation.  It had its Jewish employees designated as essential workers for the German war effort.  Later, part of the factory was established in the Vaught concentration camp.  It continued to protect its Jewish workers in the concentration camp.  Some were later sent to Auschwitz.  Ultimately, 382 Jews survived from this rescue action.

Fritz Philips●


Piet Meerburg Group, Amsterdam, established early 1942 (Gutman, 2004)

Piet Meerburg●, leader


Placement Committee for German and Austrian Musicians, USA (American Committee for Christian German Refugees, 1945; Close, 1953; Davie, 1947; Duggan & Drury, 1948; Genizi, 1976; Genizi, 1983, pp. 96-136; Gutman, 1990, pp. 32-33, 1065-1066; Nawyn, 1981, pp. 159-181; Ross, 1981; Zucker, 2008)


Polish Army, see also Home Army (Armia Krajowa; AK)

General Kazimierz Sawicki (“Prut”), Home Army (AK), commander, Lvov District, worked with Council in Aid to Jews, Zegota (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 98)

Colonel Wladyslaw Filipowski (“Janka”), commander, Home Army (AK), Lvov District, worked with Zegota (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 99)

Colonel Stefen Czerwinski (“Jan”), commander, Home Army (AK), Lvov District (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 99)

Major Pochocki (“Ryszard”), chief of 2nd Department, Home Army (AK), Lvov District, Zegota Section (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 99)

Cadet Officer Swieczkowski (“Stukas”), Home Army (AK), Lvov District, Zegot Section (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 99)

Dr. Szczepan Wacer, MD, military doctor, Ujazdowski Hospital dispensary, Warsaw, Poland, prison doctor, Pawiak Prison, Warsaw (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 109-111)

Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Malinowski, MD, Ujazdowski Hospital dispensary, Warsaw, Poland (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 109-111)

Major Tadeuz Kawecki, Ujazdowski Hospital dispensary, Warsaw, Poland (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 109-111)

Major Manion Mroczkowski, Ujazdowski Hospital dispensary, Warsaw, Poland (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 109-111)


Polish Citizen’s Committee for Refugee Affairs in Hungary, Polish Government in Exile (Gutman, 2007, pp. 176-177)

Saved Polish refugees who had escaped from Poland to Hungary during the war.  Members of the Committee were jailed by the Nazi authorities.  Antal was arrested and later released.

Dr. Józef Antal●+, Civil Refugee Department, Hungarian Ministry of the Interior


Polish Girl Scouts, called Organizacja Harcerek (Girl Scouts Organization), during German occupation it was part of the Home Army (AK) and helped children (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 179)

Maria Jiruska, teacher, Warsaw, Poland, member Polish Girl Scouts (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 241-242; Berman, p. 8), see Maria Jiruska Rescue Operation


Polish Government, see Karski Mission


Polish Government-in-Exile, London, England

Tomasz Arciszewski, Prime Minister, Nov.29,1944

Stanislaw Mikolajcyk (1901-1966) Deputy Prime Minister 1942-mid1943, Minister of the Interior, Prime Minister, July 14,1943-1945

Ignacy Issac Schwazbart, Jewish Representative

General Wladyslaw Sikorski, Prime Minister, Oct.1, 1939 - July 4, 1943

Samuel Autur Zygelbojm, Jewish Representative


Polish Embassy, Canada

Victor Podoski, Polish Ambassador to Canada

Victor Podoski was the Polish Ambassador to Canada.  He requested the admission to Canada “for the duration of the war” of 2,000 Polish refugees, many of them government officials.  This request included more than 100 Jewish children.  Eventually, Polish refugees were let into Canada.  (Abella, Irving & Harold Troper. None is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe 1933-1948 (3rd Ed.). (Toronto: Key Porter Books, 2000), pp. 77, 80, 82-90, 93, 95-96, 99, 104, 109, 111, 116-117.)


Polish Embassy, Tokyo, Japan

Count Tadeusz Romer, Polish Ambassador to Japan, 1937-1941

The Polish Ambassador to Japan representing the government in exile, Count Tadeusz Romer, served as the ambassador from 1937-1941.  Though Poland was conquered by Germany and Russia, Japan recognized the Polish government-in-exile in London until October 1941.  Up till that time, Romer helped Jews stranded in Japan to find safe havens.  Romer issued more than 300 visas to Polish Jews.  He wrote to his fellow diplomats in Canada, Great Britain and Australia:  “It is…not fitting to enquire whether this or that Polish refugee is Jew or Christian but only whether or not he is a faithful and devoted servant of his country and thereby of the common cause of the Allies.”  (USHMM, Flight and Rescue, 2001.)


Polish Embassy, Bern, Switzerland

Alexander Lados, Polish Ambassador to Switzerland, 1938-45

Ambassador Lados approved the issuing of thousands of protective Polish passports and visas to Jews stranded in Switzerland, 1938-45.  He specifically approved the work of Dr. Julius Kuhl to issue passports through the embassy in Bern.  In addition, Lados persuaded the London-based Polish government-in-exile to provide money and relief to Polish Jews interned in Swiss camps.  (Friedenson, Joseph, and David Kranzler, forward by Julius Kuhl. Heroine of Rescue: The Incredible Story of Recha Sternbuch Who Saved Thousands from the Holocaust. (Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, 1984). Kranzler, David. Thy Brother’s Blood: The Orthodox Jewish Response During the Holocaust. (Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah, 1987). Kranzler, David. Thy Brother’s Blood: The Orthodox Jewish Response During the Holocaust. (Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah, 1987), pp. 190, 201-203. Penkower, Monty Noam. The Jews Were Expendable: Free World diplomacy and the Holocaust.  (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1983), pp. 78, 249.)

Dr. Julius Kuhl, Polish Consul in Bern, Switzerland, 1938-45

Consul Dr. Julius Kuhl was born to a prominent Jewish family in Sanok, Poland.  Kuhl issued thousands of protective visas and passports to Jews from the Polish embassy in Bern, Switzerland, 1938-45.  Kuhl worked with help and encouragement from Polish ambassador Alexander Lados.  Both Kuhl and Lados gave visas to a number of Jewish relief and rescue agencies working out of Europe.  These precious papers enabled Jews to remain in Switzerland or emigrate to the United States, Canada, South America, Africa, Palestine and other countries.  (Friedenson, Joseph, and David Kranzler, forward by Julius Kuhl. Heroine of Rescue: The Incredible Story of Recha Sternbuch Who Saved Thousands from the Holocaust. (Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, 1984). Kranzler, David. Thy Brother’s Blood: The Orthodox Jewish Response During the Holocaust. (Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah, 1987), pp. 195, 200-203. Penkower, Monty Noam. The Jews Were Expendable: Free World diplomacy and the Holocaust.  (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1983), pp. 66-68, 78, 190, 249, 263, 265n.7, 368n.46.)

Helped by:

Isaac Sternbuch and Recha Sternbuch

The Sternbuch’s were Orthodox Jews living in Bern, Switzerland.  They ran a major Jewish rescue operation out of Switzerland throughout the war.  Thousands of Jews were saved by the Sternbuch’s.  Recha Sternbuch was arrested for her activities by Swiss authorities and was later released from jail.  They worked with Chinese Consul General Dr. Feng Shan Ho, from his office in Vienna, and with Polish Ambassador Alexander Lados and his assistant Julius Kuhl, from their office in Bern.  (Isaac Sternbuch:  Penkower, Monty Noam. The Jews Were Expendable: Free World diplomacy and the Holocaust.  (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1983), pp. 68-71, 190, 201, 204, 209-210, 253, 247, 250-251, 255, 257-258, 261, 287, 365n.13. Kranzler, David. Thy Brother’s Blood: The Orthodox Jewish Response During the Holocaust. (Brooklyn: Mesorah, 1987). Friedenson, Joseph, and David Kranzler, forward by Julius Kuhl. Heroine of Rescue: The Incredible Story of Recha Sternbuch Who Saved Thousands from the Holocaust. (Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, 1984).  Recha Sternbuch:  Penkower, Monty Noam. The Jews Were Expendable: Free World diplomacy and the Holocaust.  (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1983), pp. 190, 248-249, 254, 256, 261-262, 278. Kranzler, David. Thy Brother’s Blood: The Orthodox Jewish Response During the Holocaust. (Brooklyn: Mesorah, 1987). Friedenson, Joseph, and David Kranzler, forward by Julius Kuhl. Heroine of Rescue: The Incredible Story of Recha Sternbuch Who Saved Thousands from the Holocaust. (Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, 1984).)


Polish Embassy, Turkey

Polish Ambassador to Turkey, 1943?

The Polish Ambassador to Turkey gave 542 visas to Jews stranded in Teheran, according to Yishuv rescuer Chaim Barlas.  (Laqueur, Walter (Ed.) and Judith Tydor Baumel (Assoc. Ed.).  The Holocaust Encyclopedia. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001), p. 642.)


Polish Representation to the Holy See (Vatican)

Polish Representative to the Holy See, 1942

The Polish representative to the Holy See, along with the Belgian and Yugoslavian representatives, whose countries were also occupied by Germany, submitted a joint demarche on September 12, 1943.  This demarche asked the Pope to condemn Nazi atrocities in their occupied areas.  (Tittmann, Harold H., Jr., Harold H. Tittmann III (Ed.). Inside the Vatican of Pius XII: The Memoir of an American Diplomat During World War II. (New York: Image Books Doubleday, 2004), pp. 117-120.)


Polish Consulate, Marseilles, France

Polish Consul in Marseilles, France, 1940?

The Polish consul in Marseilles, France, provided Polish passports to Varian Fry and Albert Hirschmann of the Emergency Rescue Committee.  These documents were necessary in order to get refugees safe passage through Spain to Lisbon.  (Fry, Varian. Surrender on Demand. (New York: Random House, 1945), pp. 40-41. Marino, Andy. A Quiet American: The Secret War of Varian Fry. (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999), p. 141. Ebel, Miriam Davenport. An Unsentimental Education: A Memoir by Miriam Davenport Ebel. (1999).)


Polish Consulate, Lipsk, Germany

Feliks Chiczewski, Polish consul in Lipsk, Germany, 1938-39?

Feliks Chiczewski was the Polish consul in Lipsk, Germany.  He prevented Polish Jews from being expelled from Germany by allowing them to seek refuge in the Polish consulate building and garden.  At least half of the Jews in the town were given refuge during the time of the deportations.  (Gutman, Yisrael (Ed.). Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, 4 vols. (New York: Macmillan, 1990), p. 1727.)


Polish Legation, Budapest, Hungary

Henryk Slawik●+* (Braham, 1981; Lévai, 1948; Zimmerman, p. 157)

Henryk Slawik was the Polish Chargé d’Affaires in Budapest, Hungary, in 1944.  He issued thousands of documents certifying that Polish Jewish refugees in Budapest were Christians.  One hundred of these were children, and were put in a Catholic orphanage.  Slawik was caught and deported to Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, where he was murdered.  Slawik was honored as Righteous Among the Nations in 1977.

Zimmerman, Polish diplomat stationed in Budapest, 1944-45

Zimmerman was a Jewish Polish diplomat who worked clandestinely in Budapest.  He worked under Henryk Slawik.  (Lévai, Jenö. Black Book on the Martyrdom of Hungarian Jewry. (Central European Times Publishing, 1948). Braham, Randolph L. The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1981).)


Polish Journalists Union, Poland, see Clandestine Organization of Journalists, Poland


Polish Policemen

Officer Jan Kubicki, “Blue” Police, wife Zofia Kubicki (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 141-142)

Police Sergeant Wallan Nowinski, Warsaw, Poland, he was helped by Kazimiera Sadzikowska (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 143-144)

Wladyslaw Góra (“Stateczny”), “Blue” Police, Warsaw, Poland, helped Jews escape the Warsaw Ghetto; worked with Henryk Iwansky Rescue Group (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 149)

Adam Nowicki (“Morda”), “Blue” Police, Warsaw, Poland, helped Jews escape the Warsaw Ghetto; worked with Henryk Iwansky Rescue Group (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 149)


Polish Red Cross


Polish Resistance Front
(Front Odrodzenia Polski)

Zofia Kossak-Szczucka, Leader


Polish Trade Union Federation, Poland


Polish Workers Party, Crakow, Poland, helped save Jews in Crakow area (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 248)

Janusz Wozniakowski, area leader (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 248)

Andrzej Stopka (“Duszek”; Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 248)

Wicula, hid Jews in flat on Dluga St., Crakow (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 247-248)

Wicula’s daughter, hid Jews in flat on Dluga St., Crakow (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 247-248)

Maria Armatys, hid Jews in flat at 53 Starowislna (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 248)

Dr. Jan Golab, MD, provided medical care to Jews, Crakow (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 248)

Professor Szczeklik (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 248)

Kazimierz Stefanik (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 248-249)

Ksawery Weiglus (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 249)

Dr. Zurowski (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 249)

Józef Jedynak, Zegota activist, Polish undergraound, rescued Jews (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 249)

Stefan Hartabus (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 249)

Leon Polonka (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 249)

Wanda Jedynak-Panuszko (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 249)

Rudolf Przetaczek, hid Jews in bunker (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 249)

Zofia Przetaczek, hid Jews in bunker (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 249)


Reverend Pontier Rescue Network, Heelen, Netherlands (Gutman, 2004)

Reverend Pontier● (Gutman, 2004)


Portuguese Embassy/Consulate, Paris, France

José Luis Archer, Portuguese Consul General in Paris, 1940-41

In the first two years of the Nazi occupation of Paris, Portuguese Consul General José Luis Archer frequently protested the Foreign Ministry’s lack of concern for the welfare of Portuguese Jews in Paris.  For Archer’s actions to help Jews, the Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar sought to have him replaced.  (Milgram, Avraham. “The Bounds of Neutrality: Portugal and the Repatriation of its Jewish Nationals.” Yad Vashem Studies, 31 (2003), pp. 201-244.  Melo, António. “O processo dos portugueses levantinos.” Publico, (November 10, 1998), p. 28.)

António Alves, Portuguese Consul General in Paris, 1942

António Alves was the Portuguese Consul General in Paris after the German occupation of France.  A report generated by Alves demonstrated his intentions and actions to help save the Jews from persecution and deportation.  He coordinated his activities to save Jews with the Portuguese ambassador in Vichy, Caeiro da Mata.  Alves successfully was able to have Portuguese and other Jews released from detention.  These Jewish refugees had been rounded up in November 1942 and taken to the internment camp in Drancy.  He also managed to have Portuguese Jews released from concentration camps in the occupied French zones. Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar and the Portuguese Foreign Ministry eventually approved the Consul’s protection of Jews who held Portuguese nationality.  (Milgram, Avraham. “The Bounds of Neutrality: Portugal and the Repatriation of its Jewish Nationals.” Yad Vashem Studies, 31 (2003), pp. 201-244.  Report from António Alves to Foreign Ministry, AHD, 2o P. A. 50, M. 40.  Report from Consul General in Paris, António Alves to Foreign Ministry, “The Question of the Portuguese Levantine Jews in France,” January 1943, AHD, 2o P. A. 50, M. 40, pp. 5, 14.)

Carvalho da Silva, Vice Consul for Portugal in Paris, France, 1943

In August 1943, a Portuguese Vice Consul stationed in Paris, Carvalho da Silva, personally intervened on behalf of 40 Portuguese Jews who were at the deportation center of Drancy, France.  He convinced the Gestapo to free them and personally accompanied the group through the border crossing of France into Spain.  He rescued a second group of about 100 Jews, and also accompanied them on their border crossing into Spain.  In addition, the Turkish Consul General in Paris, Bedii Arbel, made reference to a Portuguese diplomat in a report to the Turkish embassy on 13 August, 1943, Document no. 30-6127.  In the letter it states “According to investigations made here, the Italians have excused their Jews from such regulations.  Among the neutral countries, the Consulate of Portugal has advised its Jewish citizens not to obey the orders in this respect.”  (Shaw, Stanford J. Turkey and the Holocaust: Turkey’s Role in Rescuing Turkish and European Jewry from Nazi Persecution, 1933-1945. (New York: New York University Press, 1993), pp. 85-86.)


Portuguese Embassy, Vichy France

Pinto Ferreira, Portuguese Consul General in Vichy/Marseilles, France, 1943?

Pinto Ferreira, the Portuguese Consul General in Vichy stationed in Marseilles, protected Jews who were registered with the consulate.  Ferreira argued strongly for the protection of these Jews.  Portuguese dictator Salazar later approved the repatriation of the Portuguese Jews.  (Cable from Pinto Ferreira in Vichy to Salazar, March 18, 1943, AHD, 2o P. A. 50, M. 40.  Cable from Salazar, March 27, 1943, AHD, 2o. P. A. 50, M. 40.  Cited in Milgram, Avraham. “The Bounds of Neutrality: Portugal and the Repatriation of its Jewish Nationals.” Yad Vashem Studies, 31 (2003), pp. 201-244.)

Caeiro da Mata, Portuguese Ambassador to Vichy, 1942?

Caeiro da Mata, the Portuguese Ambassador to Vichy, worked with the Portuguese Consul General António Alves, who headed the consulate in Paris, to save Jews from deportation at the hands of the Nazis.  Mata, in a report to the Portuguese Foreign Ministry, stated “No Portuguese Jew has been found in detention in a concentration camp.  No Jew has been deported to the East, and no Jew has been required to wear the [yellow] patch like the rest of the Jews.”  Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar and the Portuguese Foreign Ministry eventually approved the Consul’s protection of Jews who held Portuguese nationality.  (Milgram, Avraham. “The Bounds of Neutrality: Portugal and the Repatriation of its Jewish Nationals.” Yad Vashem Studies, 31 (2003), pp. 201-244.  Report from António Alves to Foreign Ministry, AHD, 2o P. A. 50, M. 40.  Report from Consul General in Paris, António Alves to Foreign Ministry, “The Question of the Portuguese Levantine Jews in France,” January 1943, AHD, 2o P. A. 50, M. 40, pp. 5, 14.)


Portuguese Embassy, Berlin, Germany

Alberto da Veiga Simoes, Portuguese Ambassador to Berlin, Germany, 1938-40

Portuguese Ambassador to Berlin, Alberto da Veiga Simoes, was a career Portuguese diplomat.  He was staunchly anti-Nazi and anti-Hitler.  Veiga Simoes granted visas to wealthy and privileged Jews in Berlin and to other consulates in Germany without prior authorization from the Portuguese Foreign Ministry or the Portuguese police.  For his unauthorized activities, he was reprimanded by Portuguese dictator Salazar.  Veiga Simoes then appealed to Salazar to liberalize the Foreign Ministry’s visa policy.  In particular, Veiga Simoes was interested in protecting German Jews who were from the upper classes.  He approved the issuing of visas to a number of Jews by the Portuguese consulate in Hamburg.  Veiga Simoes was also highly critical of the German and Nazi regimes.  In July 1940, for his openly anti-German stance, he was relieved of his position as ambassador and was recalled to Lisbon.  On his return, he was investigated by the Portuguese Foreign Ministry.  Veiga Simoes was removed from the diplomatic service after his return to Portugal.  He was reinstated in February 1946.  (Milgram, Avraham. “Portugal, the Consuls, and the Jewish Refugees, 1938-1941.” Yad Vashem Studies, 27 (1999), pp. 135-141.  Veiga Simoes to Alazar, Berlin, March 29, 1937, AMNE 3o. P. A-11, M-34.  Telegram of Salazar to Veiga Simoes, December 21, 1938, AMNE 2o. P. A-43, M-38.  Veiga Simoes to Salazar, Berlin, January 14, 1939, AMNE 2o. P. A-43, M-38-A.  Veiga Simoes to Salazar, Berlin, April 8, 1939, AMNE, 2o. P. A-43, M-38-A.  Unsigned information to Salazar, dated May 8, 1941, A.N.T.T. Oliveira Salazar Archive AOS/CO/IN-8 B.  (Cited in Milgram, 1999.))


Portuguese Consulate, Antwerp, Belgium

Portuguese Consul in Antwerp, Belgium, 1941

In February 1941, the Portuguese International Police informed the Portuguese Foreign Ministry that the consulate in Antwerp was granting unauthorized visas and passports to foreigners, disregarding policy of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry.  (Milgram, Avraham. “Portugal, the Consuls, and the Jewish Refugees, 1938-1941.” Yad Vashem Studies, 27 (1999), pp. 154.  Letter from the PVDE to the General Director of Economic and Consular Affairs of the MNE, Lisbon, February 21, 1941, AMNE, 2o. P. A-44, M-152. (Cited in Milgram, 1999).)


Portuguese Consulate, Bordeaux, France

Consul General Dr. Aristides de Sousa Mendes● (1885-1954), Portuguese Consul General in Bordeaux, France, 1938 - June 1941

Aristides De Sousa Mendes was from a prominent Portuguese family.  His father had been of nobility and served in the Portuguese supreme court.  For a short period, his brother, Cesar, had been the Foreign Minister of Portugal.  Mendes was a career diplomat. He was the Consul General for Portugal in Bordeaux, France.  Between June 17 and 19, 1940, he issued thousands of life-saving Portuguese visas for Jews and other refugees.  Mendes saved the entire royal Habsburg family, including the crown prince and Empress Zita.  In addition, he saved the entire Belgian cabinet in exile.  Mendes personally conducted hundreds of Jewish refugees across a border checkpoint on the Spanish frontier.  All of his life saving activities were done against the orders and policies of Portugal.  He was fired by his government and lost all of his property.  He died in poverty in Lisbon in 1954.  In November of 1995, Portugal posthumously restored his career and awarded him a special medal for saving lives. De Sousa Mendes was declared Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel in 1967.  (Fralon, José-Alain, translated by Peter Graham. A Good Man in Evil Times: Aristides de Sousa Mendes – The Unknown Hero Who Saved Countless Lives in World War II. (New York: Viking, 2000). Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Spared Lives: The Actions of Three Portuguese Diplomats in World War II. (Portugal: Diplomatic Institute, 2000). Gutman, Yisrael (Ed.). Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, 4 vols. (New York: Macmillan, 1990), pp. 1280, 1381-1382. Milgram, Avraham. “Portugal, the Consuls, and the Jewish Refugees, 1938-1941.” Yad Vashem Studies, 27 (1999), pp. 123-155.)


Portuguese Consulate, Cannes, France

Gabriel Guizol and Roland Guizol, Portuguese Vice Consuls in Cannes, France, 1941

Gabriel and Roland Guizol (brothers), of the Portuguese consulate in Cannes, France, issued visas to a number of Jews who entered Portugal.  The Guizol brothers did this without authorization from the Foreign Ministry or the Portuguese police.  (Milgram, Avraham. “Portugal, the Consuls, and the Jewish Refugees, 1938-1941.” Yad Vashem Studies, 27 (1999), pp. 154.  Letter of Elias Baruel, Vice-President of the Section of Assistance to Refugees of the Jewish Community in Lisbon to the director of the PVDE, Lisbon, May 12, 1942, Archive of the Jewish Community of Lisbon, CAHJP, Jerusalem, Po/Li/A-II/12 a, 5. (Cited in Milgram, 1999).  Milgram, Avraham. “The bounds of neutrality: Portugal and the repatriation of its Jewish nations.” Yad Vashem Studies, 31 (2003), pp. 201-244.)


Portuguese Consulate, Nice, France

Honorary Portuguese Consul in Nice, France, 1940-1941

The honorary Portuguese consul in Nice, 1940-1941, helped Jewish refugee Hecht.  (Oral history testimony by Hecht.)


Portuguese Consulate, Toulouse, France

Rui Vieira Lisboa, Portuguese Consul in Toulouse, France, 1943

In November 1943, Rui Vieira Lisboa, the Portuguese consul in Toulouse, France, asked Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar for permission to evacuate Jews from southern France.  He was granted permission and 47 Jewish refugees made their way to the Spanish border.  (Letter from Rui Vieira Lisboa to Salazar, October 11, 1943, AHD, 2o. P. A. 50, M. 40.  Rui Vieira Lisboa to Pinto Ferreira (Vichy), July 27, 1944, AHD, 2o. P. A. 50, M. 40. Cited in Milgram, Avraham. “The Bounds of Neutrality: Portugal and the Repatriation of its Jewish Nationals.” Yad Vashem Studies, 31 (2003), pp. 201-244.)


Portuguese Consulate, Hamburg, Germany

Portuguese Consul General in Hamburg, Germany

The Portuguese Consul General in Hamburg granted visas to Jews on his own initiative and with the approval of the Portuguese ambassador in Berlin, Veiga Simoes.  In addition, the Consul General in Hamburg established direct contact with the civil governors of the Portuguese possession of the Azores and Madeira to enable Jews to land.  The Consul General in Hamburg bypassed the Portuguese Foreign Ministry, the police and the Salazar administration.  (Milgram, Avraham. “Portugal, the Consuls, and the Jewish Refugees, 1938-1941.” Yad Vashem Studies, 27 (1999), pp. 123-155.  Confidential letter of Paulo Cumano to the Secretary-General of the MNE, Lisbon, April 11, 1939, AMNE 2o. P. A-43, M-38-A. The consul addressed the Civil Governor of Ponta Delgada asking for authorization for 28 Jewish families to land. (Cited in Milgram, 1999).)


Portuguese Consulate, Genoa, Italy

Alfredo Casanova, Portuguese Consul in Genoa, Italy, 1940-41?

Portuguese Consul Alfredo Casanova, stationed in Genoa, criticized Portuguese dictator Oliveira Salazar for his policy against protecting Jews in Nazi controlled areas.  In a letter to Salazar, Casanova argued that issuing irregular visas to Jews should be seen as praiseworthy and an act of humanity, and should not be condemned.  Casanova defended the action of Honorary Consul Magno in Milan who had issued visas to help Jews escape the Nazis and was discharged for this action.  Casanova himself had issued irregular visas to a group of nuns during the Spanish Civil War.  In reprisal, in November 1941, Salazar relieved Casanova of his post in Genoa, Italy, and replaced him with a Consul Second Class.  (Milgram, Avraham. “Portugal, the Consuls, and the Jewish Refugees, 1938-1941.” Yad Vashem Studies, 27 (1999), pp. 152-154.  Alfredo Casanova to Oliveira Salazar, Genoa, June 19, 1941, G.A. Magno file, YVA, M31/3459.  (Cited in Milgram, 1999).)


Portuguese Consulate, Milan, Italy

Giuseppe Agenore Magno, Honorary Consul for Portugal in Milan, Italy, 1941

Giuseppe Agenore Magno was from a prominent, wealthy Neapolitan family.  He was head of the Italian Immigration Service in Buenos Aires before the war.  He spoke Portuguese fluently and had a great appreciation of Portuguese culture and literature.  He even translated a number of Portuguese works into Italian.  Magno was appointed Honorary Consul for Portugal to Milan, Italy, in 1934 by Alfredo Casanova, the Portuguese Consul in Genoa.  Magno issued unauthorized visas to Jewish refugees in Milan.  He was reprimanded and removed from office by the Portuguese Foreign Ministry for issuing these visas.  Magno, in spite of being relieved of his position, stayed at his posted and operated the consulate until he died on February 5, 1947.  (Milgram, Avraham. “Portugal, the Consuls, and the Jewish Refugees, 1938-1941.” Yad Vashem Studies, 27 (1999), pp. 151-153.)


Portuguese Consulate, Bucharest, Romania

Portuguese Consul in Bucharest, Romania, 1941

In February 1941, the Portuguese International Police informed the Portuguese Foreign Ministry that the consulate in Bucharest was granting unauthorized visas and passports to foreigners, disregarding policy of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry.  (Milgram, Avraham. “Portugal, the Consuls, and the Jewish Refugees, 1938-1941.” Yad Vashem Studies, 27 (1999), pp. 154.  Letter from the PVDE to the General Director of Economic and Consular Affairs of the MNE, Lisbon, February 21, 1941, AMNE, 2o. P. A-44, M-152. (Cited in Milgram, 1999).)


Portuguese Legation, Budapest, Hungary

Minister Carlos de Liz-Texeira Branquinho, Portuguese Chargé d’Affaires in Budapest, 1944-45

Carlos de Liz-Texeira Branquinho was the Portuguese Chargé d’Affaires in Budapest in 1944 and obtained permission from the Portuguese government to issue safe conducts to all persons who had relatives in Portugal, Brazil, or the Portuguese colonies.  Each safe conduct was personally signed by Branquinho.  After the Arrow Cross and Nazis retook the city on October 15, 1944, there was a great demand for these documents.  Branquinho was authorized to issue 500 safe conducts, but in actual fact issued more than 800.  Soon, the Portuguese mission established several safe houses to shelter the 800 protected Jews.  Despite constant raids by the Arrow Cross, the Portuguese houses remained relatively safe throughout the war.  He also established an office of the Portuguese Red Cross at the Portuguese legation to care for Jewish refugees.  (Braham, Randolph L. The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1981), pp. 364, 366-367, 383-384, 795, 847, 887, 889, 1093-1095. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Spared Lives: The Actions of Three Portuguese Diplomats in World War II. (Portugal: Diplomatic Institute, 2000). Lévai, Jenö. Black Book on the Martyrdom of Hungarian Jewry. (Central European Times Publishing, 1948), pp. 284, 318-319, 354-355, 364, 366, 383-384, 406-410.)

Count Ferenc Pongrácz, Acting Diplomat for Portugal in Budapest, Hungary, 1944-45

Count Ferrenc Pongrácz was a Hungarian civilian.  In 1944, Count Pongrácz volunteered to represent the Portuguese legation in Budapest, Hungary, as the acting Chargé d’Affaires.  Pongrácz energetically acted to protect the Jews in the Portuguese protected houses.  He signed many Portuguese protective passes so that the Arrow Cross would not be able to dispute the legality of the Portuguese documents. Pongrácz often acted in the absence of Portuguese Chargé d’Affaires Carlos Branquinho and Consul General Gulden. Pongrácz also signed a number of petitions to protect Jews in Budapest.  (Lévai, J., 1946, Grey Book on the Rescuing of Hungarian Jews. Budapest: Officina.  Braham, Randolph L. The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1981), p. 881. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Spared Lives: The Actions of Three Portuguese Diplomats in World War II. (Portugal: Diplomatic Institute, 2000). Asaf, Uri. Christian support for Jews during the Holocaust in Hungary. In Braham, Randolph L. (Ed.) Studies on the Holocaust in Hungary, pp. 65-112. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1990), p. 95. Lévai, Jenö. Black Book on the Martyrdom of Hungarian Jewry. (Central European Times Publishing, 1948), pp. 357-359, 366, 384, 387-388, 406-410.)

Dr. Carlos Almeida Afonseca de Sampayo Garrido, Ambassador Plenipotentiary for Portugal in Budapest, 1944

Dr. Garrido helped large numbers of Hungarian Jews who came to the Portuguese diplomatic mission in 1944 seeking Portuguese protection.  Along with Branquinho, his successor, he rented houses and apartments to shelter and protect refugees from deportation and murder.  He was instrumental in establishing the policy for the protection of Portuguese Jews in Hungary.  In May 1944, he was reposted to Switzerland and on several occasions intervened on behalf of Jews from his post in Switzerland.  (Braham, Randolph L. The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1981), pp. 795, 847, 887, 889, 1093-1095. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Spared Lives: The Actions of Three Portuguese Diplomats in World War II. (Portugal: Diplomatic Institute, 2000). Milgram, Avraham. “Portugal, the Consuls, and the Jewish Refugees, 1938-1941.” Yad Vashem Studies, 27 (1999), pp. 123-155.)

Dr. Ferenc Bartha, Special Section, Portuguese Legation in Budapest, 1944-45

Applications and petitions for Portuguese protective passes were handled by Dr. Ferenc Bartha of the Special Section of the Portuguese legation in Budapest, located on Duna Street.  Bartha was a well-known Hungarian lawyer.  Bartha worked under the Portuguese Chargé.  Bartha also did his utmost to protect Jews in Budapest.  On one occasion, he intervened to liberate Jews from the Kistarcsa internment camp.  On a number of occasions, he protected Jews during Arrow Cross raids.  (Braham, 1981, p. 1094. Lévai, Jenö. Black Book on the Martyrdom of Hungarian Jewry. (Central European Times Publishing, 1948), p. 408.)

Dr. Sàndor Brody, Manager of Portuguese Protective Houses, Budapest, 1944-45

Dr. Sàndor Brody managed the Portuguese protected houses in Budapest, Hungary.  Between 500-800 Jews were protected under his supervision.  (Lévai, Jenö. Black Book on the Martyrdom of Hungarian Jewry. (Central European Times Publishing, 1948), p. 408.)

Gyula Gulden, Portuguese Honorary Consul General, Budapest, Hungary, 1944-45

Acting/Honorary Consul General Gyula Gulden, a Hungarian civilian, was the managing director of the Herend Porcelain Factory in Budapest.  He handled, processed and distributed safe-conduct papers signed by the Portuguese Chargé d’Affaires in Budapest. He organized rescue operations with Dr. Ferenc Bartha.  In addition, he worked to protect the four Portuguese protected houses in Budapest.  (Braham, Randolph L. The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1981), p. 1094. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Spared Lives: The Actions of Three Portuguese Diplomats in World War II. (Portugal: Diplomatic Institute, 2000). Lévai, Jenö. Black Book on the Martyrdom of Hungarian Jewry. (Central European Times Publishing, 1948), pp. 406-410.)

Portuguese Consul in Budapest, Hungary, 1941

In February 1941, the Portuguese International Police informed the Portuguese Foreign Ministry that the consulate in Budapest was granting unauthorized visas and passports to foreigners, disregarding policy of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry.  (Milgram, Avraham. “Portugal, the Consuls, and the Jewish Refugees, 1938-1941.” Yad Vashem Studies, 27 (1999), pp. 154.  Letter from the PVDE to the General Director of Economic and Consular Affairs of the MNE, Lisbon, February 21, 1941, AMNE, 2o. P. A-44, M-152. (Cited in Milgram, 1999).)


Edeltrud Posiles Rescue Network (Gutman, 2007, pp. 26-27)

Edeltrud Posiles●

Charlotte Posiles

Freiderike Buchegger●

Lydia Matovschek●

Olga Holstein●

Josephine Kriener●

Hans Fasching●

Maria Fasching●


Village of Possagno de Canova, Treviso Province, Northern Italy (Gutman, 2007, pp. 351-352)

Village hid and sheltered 25 Jewish refugees from Yugoslavia during German occupation of Italy.

Alessandro Bastianon● (b. 1921)

Fausto Cunial● (b. 1908)


Prélenfrey Rescue Network, Prélenfrey-du-Guâ, Vercors, France (Klugman, 1994; Lazare, 1996, pp. 288-289; Moore, 2010, p.116)

Hid 51 Jews in a local TB sanitorium operated by the Guidi-Lamorth families.  Received refugees from the Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants (OSE) organization.  Also helped the local Maquis resistance.


President’s Advisory Committee on Political Refugees (PACPR), USA (American Committee for Christian German Refugees, 1945)

(American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Historic Archives, New York City; American Jewish Historical Society Archives; YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Archives, Chamberlain papers; Breitman; Close, 1953; Davie, 1947; Duggan & Drury, 1948; Feingold, 1970, pp. 25-26, 35, 69, 81, 86, 92-94, 98, 110, 112, 139-141, 144-145, 147-148, 155, 157;  FDR Library and Stephan Wise Papers, Goldfarb Library, Brandeis University; Genizi, 1976; Genizi, 1983, pp. 96-136; Gutman, 1990, pp. 32-33, 1065-1066; Morse, 1967, pp. 204, 295-296; Nawyn, 1981, pp. 159-181; Penkower, 1983, pp. 115, 248, 360n9; Ross, 1981; Wyman, 1984, pp. 37, 47, 54, 111, 125, 129, 1330134, 198, 263, 315, 411.Zucker, 2008)

The President’s Advisory Committee on Political Refugees (PACPR) was established in 1938 by American refugee advocates to keep President Roosevelt informed on refugee and relief issues.  From 1938-1941, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the American Jewish Congress underwrote the cost of PACPR.  After 1941, they paid for the administration costs.  PACPR was the only refugee rescue program run by the US established during this period of the refugee crisis in Europe.

James Grover McDonald (USA), chairman, former League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Hamilton Fish Armstrong (USA), editor Foreign Affairs

Paul Baerwald (USA), American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; JDC (Jewish)

Bernard Baruch, (USA)

Reverend Samuel McCrea Cavert (USA), secretary, Federal Council of Churches

Professor Joseph P. Chamberlain (USA), Columbia University, NY, NY

Basil Harris, shipping executive, Roman Catholic lay leader

Louis Kennedy, Roman Catholic publisher

Patrick Malin (USA)

Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel, Archbishop of New Orleans, LA, Catholic Committee for Refugees and Displaced Persons

Wm. E. Speers (USA), treasurer, president of American Committee for Christian Refugees

James M. Speers (USA)

Myron Taylor (USA), envoy to Hoy See (Vatican)

George Warren (USA), executive secretary

Rabbi Stephen S. Wise (USA; Jewish), World Jewish Congress


President’s Committee on War Relief, Founded March, 1941, President’s War Relief Control Board

Joseph E. Davies, (USA), Chairman

Charles P. Taft, (USA) Member

Fredrich P. Keppel, (USA) Member


Prisoners Board, established April 26, 1944, see also Norwegian Relief Centre, Germany, and Berlin Committee, Germany (Persson, 2009, pp. 40-41)

Niels Christian Ditleff, leader (Persson, 2009, pp. 40-41)


Protestant Ecumenical Council, France, refugee group; see also Bishop of Chichester, George Bell, Great Britain; Pastor Heinrich Gruber, Germany; Swiss Protestant Federation (Moore, 2010, p. 129)

Pastor Adolf Freudenberg (Moore, 2010, p. 129)


Provisional Committee for Aid to Jews (Tymczasowy Komitet Pomocy Zydom), Poland, see Zegota


Quakers, see American Friends’ Service Committee


Queen Wilhelmina Fund (Gutman, 2004)


Ranolder Institute, Budapest, Hungary


Carlo Ravera Rescue Network, Alba (Cuneo Province), Italy (Gutman, 2007, pp. 199-200)

Saved 12 Jewish families, 18 people, from arrest and deportation.

Carlo Ravera●, Maresciallo dei Carabinieri, Alba Italy

Maria Ravera●, wife

Beatrice Rizzolio●


Red Cross, see International Committee of the Red Cross


Refugee Childrens Movement (RCM), Great Britain. Est.1939, see also Children’s Inter-Aid Committee (Bentwich, 1956; Berghahn, 1984; Gilbert, 1979; Sherman, 1973; Stevens, 1975; Wasserstein, 1979)

Lord Gorell


The Refugee Economic Corporation (REC),  USA,  Established , 1934

Charles J. Liebman, (USA), founder, 1937

Felix Warburg, (USA), 1934 -1937


Refugee Relief Trustees, Inc., New York, NY, USA, established 1943


Refugee Rescue Boat Lines: Denmark – Sweden (Yahil, 1969)

Henril Line – Danish Swedish Line

Speditør Line

Danish Help Service

Danish-Swedish Refugee Service

Students Intelligence Service

Kiaer Line

Lyngby Rescue Group


RELICO


Father Reppeto Rescue Network, DELASEM, Genoa, Italy (Gutman, 2007, p. 400)

Father Francesco Repetto●, leader, secretary to Archbishop Boetto, Genoa, Italy, awarded Righteous Among the Nations title April 29, 1976 (Yad Vashem Archives; Gutman, 2007, p. 400; Zuccotti, 2000, pp. 235-241, 244-246, 249, 252-253, 255-256)

Cardinal Maurilio Fossati, Archbishop of Turin, Italy, distributed DELASEM funds, aided Jew in local Catholic institution under his supervision (Zuccotti, 2000, pp. 239, 241, 243-245, 275)

Archbishop Pietro Boetto● (d. 1946), Genoa, Italy, awarded Righteous Among the Nations title (Yad Vashem Archives; Zuccotti, 2000, pp. 77, 235-236, 244, 269, 275, 371n29, 385n30)

Bishop of Chivari, Genoa, Italy (Zuccotti, 2000, p. 237)

Monsignor Vincenzo Barale, secretary for Cardinal Maurillio Fossati, Archbishop of Turin, Italy, distributed DELASEM funds, aided Jew in local Catholic institution under his supervision (Zuccotti, 2000, pp. 239, 241, 243-245, 275)

Monsignor Giacomo Lercano (Zuccotti, 2000, p. 237)

Monsignor Giacomo Massa+, arrested for helping Jews (Zuccotti, 2000, p. 238)

Monsignor Gian Maria Rotanti+, chaplain Massari Prison, arrested for helping Jewish women in prison (Zuccotti, 2000, p. 235)

Monsignor Giuseppe Siri (Zuccotti, 2000, p. 237)

Father Leto Casini● (b. 1902), Florence, Italy, awarded Righteous Among the Nations title December 14, 1965 (Yad Vashem Archives; Gutman, 2007, p. 367)

Father Gian Maria Rotandi (Zuccotti, 2000, p. 255)

Father Carlo Salvi●, DELASEM (Gutman, 2007, Zuccotti, 2000, p. 237)

Father Raimondo Viale●, Borgo San Dalmazzo

Georgio Nissim (Jewish), DELASEM, Lucca, Italy (Zuccotti, 2000, pp. 256-258)

Settimio Sorani (Jewish), DELASEM, Rome, Italy

Massimo Teglio (Jewish), DELASEM (Zuccotti, 2000, pp. 236-238, 245, 256)

Lelio Vittoria Valobra (Jewish), DELASEM (Zuccotti, 20000, pp. 235-237, 245)


Representation in Spain of the American Relief Organizations, US Embassy, Madrid, Spain, established 1943 (JDC Archives, NYC; HIAS-HICEM Archives, YIVO, NYC; USC Archives, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA)

David Blickenstaff, Head

American Friend Service Committee (AFSC), Quaker, (USA)

American Jewish Joint Dist. Committee (JDC), (USA)

Unitarian Service Committee (USC), (USA)

War Relief Services of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, (USA)


Resistance Network, Monferrato Region, Italy

Giuseppe Brusasca●


Father Henry (Dom Bruno) Reynders Rescue Network, Louvain/Leuven, Belgium(Gutman, 2004; Gutman, 2005, pp. 218-219; Papeleux, 1980, 1981; Teitelbaum-Hirsch; Reynders, En Feuilletant Mon Cahier de Notes; Resistance, Pere Bruno Reynders, Juste des Nations)

Father Henry (Dom Bruno) Reynders●, Louvain, France, leader, awarded Righteous Among the Nations title (Yad Vashem Archives; Gutman, 2005, pp. 36-37, 218-219)

Albert van den Berg●, awarded Righteous Among the Nations title (Yad Vashem Archives; Gutman, 2005, pp. 218-219)

Jules Dubois-Pelérin●, banker, awarded Righteous Among the Nations title (Yad Vashem Archives; Gutman, 2005, pp. 218-219)

Jean Reynders●, brother of Father Henry Reynders, awarded Righteous Among the Nations title (Yad Vashem Archives; Gutman, 2005, pp. 218-219)


The Ring,” see “The Study Circle”


Father Maurice Robinet Rescue Network, Brussels, Belgium (Moore, 2010, pp. 286, 441n133)

May have helped as many as 400 Jewish children in Brussels.

Father Maurice Robinet


Rockefeller Foundation, New York, NY, USA, established 1913 (Morse, 1967, p. 294; Fosdick, Raymond B. The Chronicle of a Generation: An Autobiography. New York: Harper, 1958.  Fosdick, Raymond B. The Story of the Rockefeller Foundation.  New York: Harper, 1952.  Rockefeller Foundation, Annual Reports, 1933-1945.  Wetzel, “American Rescue,” pp. 319-327.  Rockefeller Archives.)

Supported more than three hundred refugee scholars and found positions for them in US universities.  Contributed $1,500,000 in funds to help refugee intellectuals and scholars.  Helped the following institutions: Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced Foreign Scholars; University in Exile (New School for Social Research, Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science); The Oberlaender Trust; Notgemeinschaft deutscher Wissenschaftler im Ausland; and others.


Rockefeller Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark

Mrs. Ina Haxen (half Jewish)

Dr. Poul Astrup

Dr. Richard Ege and Mrs. Ege

Professor Brandt Rehberg

Professor Linderstrøm-Lang

Mrs. Annamarie Glanner, Jewish Medical Student

David Sompolinsky, Jewish Veterinary Student


Romanian Government

King Michael

King Michael of Romania, along with opposition parties and Romanian clergymen, asked the Romanian government to protect Romanian Jewry and to help deported Jews in Transnistria.  He also asked for the cancellation of the planned genocide of Jews. 

(Wyman, David S. (Ed.). The World Reacts to the Holocaust. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996), p. 234.  Lavi, T.H., “The Background to the Rescue of Romanian Jews during the Period of the Holocaust,” in Jews and Non-Jews in Eastern Europe, Eds. Béla Vágó and George L. Mosse, New York: Wiley, 1974, pp. 177-186.)

Queen Mother Helena●

Queen Mother Helena of Romania, along with opposition parties and Romanian clergymen, asked the Romanian government to protect Romanian Jewry and to help deported Jews in Transnistria.  She also asked for the cancellation of the planned genocide of Jews.  Queen Mother Helena was declared Righteous among the Nations by the State of Israel in 1993. 

(Gutman, Yisrael (Ed.). Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, 4 vols. (New York: Macmillan, 1990), p. 1297. Safran, Alexandre. “The Rulers of Fascist Rumania Whom I Had to Deal With.” Yad Vashem Studies, 6 (1967), p. 179. Lavi, T. Rumanian Jewry in World War II: Fight for Survival. (Jerusalem, 1965). Hebrew.  Lavi, T. (Ed.). Rumania, Vol. 1.  In Pinkas Hakehillot, Encyclopaedia of Jewish Communities. (Jerusalem, 1969). Hebrew. Butnaru, I. C. The Silent Holocaust: Romania and its Jews.  Lavi, T.H., “The Background to the Rescue of Romanian Jews during the Period of the Holocaust,” in Jews and Non-Jews in Eastern Europe, Eds. Béla Vágó and George L. Mosse, New York: Wiley, 1974, pp. 177-186.)

General Constantin Sanatescu

Romania withdrew from the Axis alliance with Germany on August 23, 1944.  Romanian leader General Constantin Sanatescu abolished the antisemitic laws in Romania and protected Jews in Northern Transylvania. 

(Braham, Randolph L. The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1981), p. 906.  Lavi, T.H., “The Background to the Rescue of Romanian Jews during the Period of the Holocaust,” in Jews and Non-Jews in Eastern Europe, Eds. Béla Vágó and George L. Mosse, New York: Wiley, 1974, pp. 177-186.)

Romulus Pop, Minister of Minorities

Worked with Jewish community leader Erno Marton to aid Romanian Jews (Braham, 1981, p. 1046)

Ionel Pop, High Commissioner for the Administration of Liberated Transylvania (Inhalt Comisar Pentru Administrarea Transilvaniei Eliberate)

Established the Special Department on Jewish Questions in the Liberated Territories (Serviciu Special Dentru Problemele Evreesti din Teritoriile Eliberate) to help Jews in Northern Transylvania, repatriate their property, help deportees, etc.  Erno Marton was appointed Technical Councelor (Consilier Tehnic) of the agency.  Supported by the JDC, ICRC and Romanian govnerment.  (Braham, 1981, pp. 1046-1048, 1055n34)

Prime Minister Calinescu

Prime Minister Calinescu of Romania helped Jews transit through Romania before the outbreak of the war in Europe.  Willi Perl, director of the Af-Al-Pi (“Despite Everything”) transport, writes in his book, The Four-Front War:  “Our immediate obstacle right then was not a scarcity of ships, therefore.  With the coming of winter, the freezing of the Danube rendered the river unnavigable from the Bulgarian border.  This meant that we had to fall back on transit visas, a procedure which had caused so much trouble and tragedy before.  The British were, of course well aware of our need for transit visas, and they, in effect, tried to bottle up those being hunted down in Nazi Germany.  However, Zeev Jabotinsky’s visit to the Balkans in October 1938, during which he intervened with Mr. Calinescu, the Rumanian prime minister, and other Balkan statesmen, had created in these countries a more favorable climate for us.  Yet to let us through without a visa of destination would have been interpreted as an overt rejection of a legally founded British request.  But by giving assurances that the refugees had not the slightest intention of really traveling there…[they were able to obtain the visas].”  (Perl, William R. The Four-Front War: From the Holocaust to the Promised Land. (New York: Crown Publishers, 1978), pp. 142-143.)

Helped by:

Rabbi Alexander Safran, Chief Rabbi of Romania

Rabbi Alexander Safran was the Chief Rabbi of Romania from 1940 to 1947.  Safran represented Romanian Jewry with the pro-Nazi Romanian authorities.  Safran tried unsuccessfully to prevent the deportation of Romanian Jews to Transnistria.  Safran was able to forestall some of the deportations and even saved Jews.  He established contacts with Queen Helena of Romania, Papal Nuncio Archbishop Cassulo, and Swiss Ambassador to Romania René de Weck.  (Safran, Alexander. Resisting the Storm: Romania 1940-1947. (1987).  Safran, Alexandre. “The Rulers of Fascist Rumania Whom I Had to Deal With.” Yad Vashem Studies, 6 (1967), pp. 175-180. Lavi, T. Rumanian Jewry in World War II: Fight for Survival. (Jerusalem, 1965). Hebrew.  Lavi, T. (Ed.). Rumania, Vol. 1.  In Pinkas Hakehillot, Encyclopaedia of Jewish Communities. (Jerusalem, 1969). Hebrew.  Butnaru, I. C. The Silent Holocaust: Romania and its Jews.  Lavi, T.H., “The Background to the Rescue of Romanian Jews during the Period of the Holocaust,” in Jews and Non-Jews in Eastern Europe, Eds. Béla Vágó and George L. Mosse, New York: Wiley, 1974, pp. 177-186.)


Romanian Embassy, Rome, Italy

Mr. Cameracescu

Romanian diplomat Cameracescu issued protective papers to Jews in Rome, Italy, in 1943. He worked with the Jewish relief agency Delegazione Assistenze Emigranti Ebrei (Jewish Emigrant Association; Delasem) and Father Marie-Benoit.  (Waagenaar, Sam. The Pope’s Jews. (La Salle, IL: Open Court Publishers, 1974), pp. 394-395.)


Romania Consualte, Prague, Czechoslovakia

Romanian Consul in Prague, 1942?

The Romanian Consul in Prague demanded that the Romania Jews be protected from deportation from the German protectorate.  The Consul pretended he had no knowledge that the Romanian government had previously agreed to a deportation of Romanian Jews.  (Browning, Christopher R. The Final Solution and the German Foreign Office: A Study of Referat D III of Abteilung Deutschland 1940-43. (New York: Holmes & Meier Publishers, 1978), p. 102.)


Romanian Consulate, Berlin, Germany

Constantin Karadja, Consul General of Romania in Berlin, Germany, 1942-1944

Constantin Karadja, Consul General of Romania in Berlin, issued hundreds of Romanian visas to German Jews in Berlin during the period from 1942 to 1944.


Romanian Embassy and Consulate, Bern, Switzerland, see also El Salvador, Embassy, Bern, Switzerland (Braham, 1991, pp. 1042, 1044, 1055n29)

Ambassador Vespasian V. Pella

Ambassador Pella received and transmitted a large, important report on the persecution of Jews in Hungary.  It contained information by Romanian observers and members of the Jewish community.  A Jewish physician, Dr. Miksa Kupfer, reported on the conditions in the Nagyvárad Ghetto.  Ambassador Pella gave the report to the International Committee of the Red Cross.  This report may have been forwarded to Hungarian Regent Admiral Horthy.  (Braham, 1991, p. 1042)

Florian Manoliu●

Romanian diplomat Florian Manoliu worked with the other diplomats in saving Jews from deportation from Budapest, Hungary, 1944-45.  He worked to distribute various protective papers, including those of George Mandel Mantello.  Manoliu distributed the Auschwitz Protocols to a number of Jewish representatives in Switzerland.  He was awarded Righteous Among the Nations status in 2001.  (Kranzler, David. The Man Who Stopped the Trains to Auschwitz George Mantello, El Salvador, and Switzerland’s Finest Hour. (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2000), pp. 82-94, 176-177, 283n.i, 183-184. Braham, Randolph L. The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1981), pp. 712, 1120.)


Romanian Consulate, Nagyvárad

Reported on persecution of Jews in Nagyvárad.  Reports were transmitted to the ICRC.

(Braham, 1981, pp. 1042, 1054n16; Marina, Mihai, “Nu Puteam Ramine Impasibili!” [We could not remain impassive!], Magazin Istoric [Historic Maganize], Bucharest, No. 6, June 1976, pp. 37-38, 39-41, cited in Braham, 1981)


Romanian Consulate, Kolozsvar, Transylvania

Romanian Consul in Kolozsvar, Transylvania

The Romanian Consul in Kolozsvar, Transylvania, which was very close to the Romanian border, helped Jewish refugees cross into Romania.  The consul had friends among the Romanian border guards.  The consul also sent information regarding Hungarian refugees that were being protected as political refugees.  (Braham, Randolph L. The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1991), pp. 206-207, 909.)


Romanian Consular Officials

Traveled to northern Transylvania to officially report on the treatment of Jews there.  They were sympathetic to the Jews.  (Marina, Mihai, “Nu Puteam Ramine Impasibili!” [We could not remain impassive!], Magazin Istoric [Historic Maganize], Bucharest, No. 6, June 1976, pp. 37-38, 39-41, cited in Braham, 1991, p. 1054n16.)

The Romanian consular officials were:

Mihai Bologa

Vasile Hossu

Ion Isaiu

Alexandru Olteanu

Ion Romascan


Romanian Political Leaders (Braham, 1981, pp. 1045, 1055n30)

Romanian political leaders of the opposition and of historical parties supported the protection of Jews.  They were:

Iuliu Maniu (Braham, 1981, pp. 1045, 1055n30; Safran, Alexandre. “The Rulers of Fascist Rumania Whom I Had to Deal With.” Yad Vashem Studies, 6 (1967), pp. 179-180.)

Dinu Bratianu (Braham, 1981, pp. 1045, 1055n30; Safran, Alexandre. “The Rulers of Fascist Rumania Whom I Had to Deal With.” Yad Vashem Studies, 6 (1967), pp. 179-180.)

Emil Hatieganu (Braham, 1981, pp. 1045, 1055n30; Safran, Alexandre. “The Rulers of Fascist Rumania Whom I Had to Deal With.” Yad Vashem Studies, 6 (1967), pp. 179-180.)


Rora Village of Piedmont, Waldensian Valleys, Italy (Zimmerman, 2005, p. 314)

Hid Jewish families using false identities.


Alfred Rossner Rescue Operation, Bedzin Zaglebie Dabrowski Industrial Center, Upper Silesia (Gutman, 2007, pp. 141-142)

Alfred Rossner●, Schneidersammelwerkstatt (workshop), Rossner Shop


Sylwia Rzeczycka Rescue Network, Warsaw, Poland

Hid, sheltered and protected Jews in Warsaw, Poland.  Provided forged identity cards.  (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 171-174)

Sylwia Rzeczycka, member Home Army (AK; Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 171-174)

Mrs. Bucholtz, representative of the Polish Government-in-Exile, member Home Army (AK; Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 172)

Mrs. Janina Wrzosek, hid Jews in her home, worked with Central Relief Council (RGO; Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 171-172)

Wanda Henrych, hid Jews in her home (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 173)

Mrs. Basia Berman (Jewish), organized rescue of fellow Jews (Bartoszewski, 1969, pp. 173, 489)

Halina Krzyzanowska, hid and protected Jews (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 173)

Mrs. Ksenia Madej, nurse, hid and protected Jews (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 173)

Bronislawa Plaskacz, Czestochowa, Poland, hid and protected entire Bugajer family (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 173)

Mada Walter (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Dr. Zofia Franio (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Alicja Rapacka (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Wieslawa Dziugiello (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Wladyslawa Michalowicz (“Dziatka”), daughter-in-law of Professor Michalowicz (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Stanislaw Bukowski (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Maria Karska (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Maria Robakiewicz (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Maria Kasperska (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Dr. Feliks Kanabus (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Irena Olbrycka (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Halina Panfilewicz (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Józef Kolasinski (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Colonel Wladyslaw Kowalski (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)

Mrs. Badalska (Bartoszewski, 1969, p. 174)