The forgotten Swiss diplomat who rescued thousands from Holocaust

[muriel_volestrangler]

A Swiss diplomat has been credited with leading the largest civilian rescue operation of World War Two. But instead of being applauded for saving thousands of Jewish lives, he was reprimanded and - until recently - largely forgotten, as the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports.
...
But to save Budapest's Jews, Lutz needed to go further. He persuaded the Germans to let him issue diplomatic letters of protection, 8,000 of them.

He then applied the letters not to individuals, as the Germans had intended, but to entire families. And once he reached 7,999, he simply started again at number 1, hoping the Nazis would not notice the duplication.

Historians estimate the letters saved up to 62,000 people.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42400765

And he set up 76 safe houses. What a man.

[Irish_Dem]

1. Every day people who do remarkable things at grave risk to themselves.

While our own leaders who have sworn to protect the country and its citizens do nothing.

[Me.]

2. And Let's Not Forget Swedish Diplomat

Raoul Wallenberg and his rescue of the Jews of Budapest.

“some estimates are as high as 100,000–of Hungarian Jews from extermination by the Nazis”

http://www.history.com/topics/wallenberg-raoul

[Boomerproud]

3. Wallenberg, and his fate should never be forgotten.

R.I.P.

[appalachiablue]

4. K & R. We must remember Wallenberg and Swiss Carl Lutz, remarkable men

that courageously saved Jewish lives in very desperate times. My mother spoke of Wallenberg often, a true hero.
Thanks for the OP, an excellent article about Lutz whose story I didn't know.

During WWII my father was in the Rhineland Campaign. As a 24 yr. old 1st Lieut. he was in the US Seventh Army with an AAA- Anti Aircraft Artillery & Automatic Weapons Unit that crossed the Rhine, went into Bavaria and was at the Liberation of Dachau. He told us some of what he saw, the horrors and sadness of the prisoners, especially some newly freed, elated Polish inmates who accidentally drank ethanol(?) alcohol and died as a result.
Dad gave me several of his service insignia pins and SS patches and Nazi emblems when I returned from a Europe college trip, items we treasure along with his Bronze Star awarded for bravery in combat. I regret that I didn't ask him more about his experiences then and later, esp. since he passed much too young.

[Me.]

6. Interesting

[GeoWilliam750]

5. Mercifully, there are still good people in the world - as ever has there been

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Righteous_Among_the_Nations_by_country

If only world leaders had stood up sooner, and acted sooner.

Off the top of my head, I can think of very few cases where a people in one country intervened in the genocide of another country. Although I am sure there must be more, the only one that comes to mind in the Vietnamese intervention against the Khmer Rouge - and the US was on the wrong side of that one.