.
The memory of Aristides de Sousa Mendes
recalled the Pantheon
- "Aristides de Sousa Mendes, consul general of Portugal in Bordeaux in June 1940, has done all by himself one of the largest rescue operations during the Second World War: 30,000 visas issued within 10 days despite the strict orders he had received from Salazar and forbade her to open the doors of Portugal, while the neutral zone. From 17 to 21 June 1940, he handed out visas and false passports to all those who so have applied, without distinction of race, nationality, religion or political conviction.
Among those he saved, there are 10,000 Jews, French and Europe, but also English Republicans, opponents of Nazism, political leaders, including a large part of European governments that have been exiled in London (including the Polish government) or stay in Portugal (as the Belgian Government, for example ).
Translated in July 1940 before the Disciplinary Board, Aristides de Sousa Mendes was sentenced in October 1940, demoted, dismissed, and he died in 1954, poor and forgotten of all. It will be rehabilitated by Portugal posthumously in 1988. Previously, he was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 1966 by the Institute Yad Vashem, this title is discerned to people who saved at the peril of their lives of persecuted Jews.
the initiative of the French National Committee in honor of Aristides de Sousa Mendes ( http://www.sousamndes.org/ ), a trip to Paris and Bordeaux together the descendants of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and the descendants of those he saved, was held from June 21 to June 26, 2010, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Action de Sousa Mendes.
One of the highlights of this trip was the visit by the delegation of the Pantheon, which at the invitation of the French Committee for Yad Vashem and its President Mr. Paul Schaffer, meditated at the plaque in tribute to the Righteous of France, engraved in the crypt of the Pantheon.
This plaque was affixed in 2007, following a national ceremony in the presence of Jacques Chirac, then president of the French Republic and Simone Veil, the honorary president of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah , who was behind this initiative, allowing the recognition of the role of the Righteous in the place of symbolic recognition of the values of the Republic, where assembled the great men who marked the history of France.
During the Second World War, 6 million Jews from 21 countries in Europe under Nazi domination, were exterminated. In France, 76,000 Jews, 11. 000 children, were deported. Only 2,550 returned, no child was among them. However, three quarters of the Jews in France have been spared. Those who survive often have the men and women, not Jews, listening only to their conscience, hid them, protected them and saved them from death. Famous or anonymous, of all ages and all backgrounds, of all affiliations Religious and political and all social backgrounds, these men and women of honor have in common is respect for moral values, the rejection of fascism and the courage to act despite the risks.
The French Committee for Yad Vashem is an association governed by French law in 1901, founded in 1989. Consists almost exclusively of volunteers, it is responsible for publicizing and honoring the Righteous Among the Nations from France and support the Yad Vashem in Jerusalem in memory of his mission and teaching. This Committee investigates cases of the righteous that are submitted and forward them to Yad Vashem Jerusalem, sole authority to award the honorary title of "Righteous Among the Nations" on behalf of the State of Israel. This title is a translation of the Hebrew expression " Hassid Oumot Haolam " which, in the Talmud, was used since ancient times to describe non-Jews "virtuous, working with compassion and justice."
(News of the French Committee for Yad Vashem).
- "Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at the invitation of the French Committee for Yad Vashem, a delegation from the French National Committee in honor of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, uniting the descendants of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and descendants of people he saved, was taken before the plaque commemorating the work of Righteous of France, engraved in the crypt of the Pantheon, and praised the work of the Portuguese Consul in 1940, one of the "lights in the night of the Holocaust. "
Paul Schaffer welcomed the delegation led by Committee Chairman Sousa Mendes, M. Dias and Ms. Helen Kaufmann, in the presence of several members of the French Committee for Yad Vashem, including Jean Raphael Hirsch Vice-Chairman, Mr. Jean Pierre Gauze, Secretary General, Mr. Charles Finel, M. Leon Borocin, Paul Ejchenrand, Alice Tajchman, secretary general of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah and Rachel Rimmer, responsible for communication of FMS, and Anne-Marie Revcolevschi, President of the Project Aladdin and Steering Committee member of the French committee of Yad Vashem.
After President Paul Schaffer had recalled the mandate and rationale Yad Vashem, Jerusalem and Paris, and is delighted to host this delegation, MP Monnet, director of Pantheon, outlined the Pantheon in tracing its history since its construction, completed in 1789, until today. "
(News of the French Committee for Yad Vashem).
- "Mrs. AM Revcolevschi, which was the CEO of the FMS until 2009, explained the genesis of the entrance to the Pantheon of the Righteous In 2007, she summarized the highlights of the impressive ceremony that took place in presence of President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac, Madame Simone Veil, President of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah, with the initiated this approach, and many French and foreign personalities: the speeches, the film of Agnes Varda and installation, in the nave, photographs of Righteous alongside those of actors in the film. She recalled in particular the reasons were behind this initiative: countering denial orchestrated by President Iranian fight resurgent anti-Semitism in France, while denying the image of a France-Semitic, and recall the action of the Righteous of France with the majority, remained anonymous, could never be formally recognized by Yad Vashem, Jerusalem.
As Aristides de Sousa Mendes intended to embody the diplomats, among the various categories of persons or institutions who saved Jews from deportation and death, she explained that with Alice Tajchman, their chose the Portuguese Consul: Consul General of Portugal in Bordeaux in June 1940 he had in fact, accomplished single-handedly one of the largest rescue operations during the Second World War: 30 000 visas issued within 10 days, despite the strict orders he had received from Salazar and forbade him to open the doors of Portugal, while the neutral zone. From 17 to 21 June 1940, he gave visas and false passports to all those who have made the request, without distinction of race, nationality, religion or political conviction.
Among those he saved, there were 10 000 Jews, French and European, but also English Republicans, opponents of Nazism and officials policies.
MMDI, Chairman of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, then thanked the various personalities for their attendance and paid tribute to Ms. Simone Veil and her tireless fight for the memory, he stressed the importance of this ceremony for family of the consul and insisted on its exemplary action in which the news must be a call for everyone to be vigilant to the temptations of hatred, racism, xenophobia. "
(Press CFYV).
- "Then the delegation visited the crypt in the gallery of the 20th century.
After Ms. Revcolevschi had read aloud the text on the plaque in tribute to the Righteous, M. Paul Schaffer and Mrs. Jarvik, who with his family then fled to Holland, had been saved by M. de Sousa Mendes, laid a wreath at the foot of the panel where the action is told of the Righteous in France during the war. After one minute of silence, the delegation visited the crypt before going to attend the screening of a documentary on Yad Vashem.
Following the film, one of the small-son of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who came from Canada, took the floor to say on behalf of the great family of Aristides de Sousa Mendes who was forced into exile as a result of acts of resistance of their grandfather, how he rejoiced to see that today, the action of their grandfather came into history. Dr. Jarvik, for his part, expressed his gratitude to the grace which is to life. Ms. Revcolevschi concluded, as Mr. Dias, calling everyone to be vigilant and lucidity so as not to be dragged by the speech and hate propaganda which now hears the news. "
(Press CFYV).
Lissy Jarvik:
- "Without Aristides de Sousa Mendes, I Would not Be Here.
It's as simple as That.
Without Aristides de Sousa Mendes, I Would Have Suffered torture
so grievous and so Prolonged
that death would have been a welcome relief.
Without Aristides de Sousa Mendes I would have missed out
on half a century
half a century wich allowed me to breathe; to live, to love,
to mature, to marry, to have children, to study, to teach
and to help a few people individually as well as to
contribute a little bit to our knowledge base on aging and mental health.
And I would have missed out on a becoming part of a country
a counrty wich offered opportunity to
the disenfranchised, the downtrodden, the needy
to people like me. "
(January 26, 1996).
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