Sousa mendes saved more lives than schindler so why isnt. However, mendes had a keen sense of right and wrong, coupled with solid christian values. On april 3, 2001 the irwf had paid a tribute to sousa mendes in new york city. We saw the movie with a different english title, disobedience. The museums collections document the fate of holocaust victims, survivors, rescuers, liberators, and others through artifacts, documents, photos, films, books, personal stories, and more. They were jews and nonjews, public figures and private citizens, most with passports but many without. With the nazi invasion of france came an order from portugal.
The book begins with mendess childhood, family, and career. Sousa mendes, portugals consul in bordeaux when germany. This is not a forum for general discussion of the articles subject. Sousa mendes, with god against men the international. After filling posts in various capitals including the united states and europe, he was posted to bordeaux, france, as the portuguese consulgeneral. In portugal, a protector of a people is honored the new. But the nazi behemoth went its evil way, and did not interfere with the torrent of. He was dismissed from the diplomatic service and was denied retirement and severance benefits. Portugals schindler is remembered, decades after his lifesaving. Born into an aristocratic portuguese family, mendes chose a diplomatic career for himself. With god against man, documentary by semyon pinkhasov u.
He issued visas to 30,000 refugees, the majority of whom were jews fleeing the nazis, helping them to avoid certain death. Aristides sousa mendes a sua vida em filme imagens. Portugal was to steer clear of any show of unfriendliness toward germany. Sousa mendes saved more lives than schindler so why isnt he.
His disobedience again angered the portuguese government. Portugals schindler is remembered, decades after his lifesaving deeds. Search below to view digital records and find material that you can access at our library and at the shapell center. In addition, we learn about portugals neutral policy of the time. He was a portuguese diplomat who served his country for 30 years. Sousa mendes left bordeaux on july 8 and returned to lisbon, portugal.
The book begins with mendes s childhood, family, and career. Between june 16 and 23, 1940, he frantically issued portuguese visas free of charge, to over 30,000 refugees seeking to escape the nazi terror, 12,000 of whom were jews. The film reveals that, like oskar schindler, sousa mendes did not set out to be a hero. The government, embarrassed by the bessa lopes report, suppressed its existence for more than a decade. Sousa mendes saved more people than schindler but died a. Built in the 19th century, it was the property of the sousa mendes family until it was forfeited to the bank in the 1950s. Aug 04, 2016 portugals schindler is remembered, decades after his lifesaving deeds. With the nazi invasion of france came an order from portugal that no jews or dissidents. He was a portuguese diplomat who served his country for 30. The sousa mendes foundation is interested in tracking the fates of all visa recipients, no matter their stories. Five sousa mendes visa recipients and their families were on hand to welcome the president, and representatives of the sousa mendes foundation. At the time, portugal was under the dictatorial rule of antonio salazar, and even though it was declared as officially neutral in the war, salazar issued a directive called circular 14 to all of portugals diplomats, instructing them to. The german occupation prompted tens of thousands of refugees, including thousands of jews, to flee southward from the northern departements in the hope of exiting france via the only remaining avenue of escape, the southern border into spain and portugal, and. In portugal, a protector of a people is honored the new york times.
Holocaust savior, sousa mendes, commemorated on the anniversary of his death. Erlich, reese, portugals president to honor diplomat who defied. Following the occupation of france in the summer of 1940, foreign consulates were faced with large numbers of jews, desperately trying to obtain visas in order to leave nazi dominated territories. Today, mendess name is engraved in gold in the pantheon of the righteous among the nations. News people profiles sousa mendes saved more lives than schindler so why isnt he a household name too. Continued disobedience to orders continued encounter with rabbi early life sousa had a nervous breakdown and secluded himself in prayer questioning whether or not he should issue as many visas as he could, saving lives at the expense of his own career.
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