With god against man, documentary by semyon pinkhasov u. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Sousa mendes saved more people than schindler but died a pariah. After filling posts in various capitals including the united states and europe, he was posted to bordeaux, france, as the portuguese consulgeneral. Christiano dadamo, the bombardments of bordeaux, regia marina italiana. Sousa mendes saved more lives than schindler so why isnt.
In portugal, a protector of a people is honored the new york times. The museums collections document the fate of holocaust victims, survivors, rescuers, liberators, and others through artifacts, documents, photos, films, books, personal stories, and more. As the portuguese consulgeneral in bordeaux, france, during world war ii, sousa mendes was responsible for saving the lives of thousands of people. Aug 04, 2016 portugals schindler is remembered, decades after his lifesaving deeds. Jun 17, 20 simon wiesenthal center october 20th, 1986. In portugal, a protector of a people is honored the new. Louisphilippe mendes, huffington post, 18 april 2012. 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. Sousa mendes, portugals consul in bordeaux when germany. Sousa mendes saved more people than schindler but died a. Five sousa mendes visa recipients and their families were on hand to welcome the president, and representatives of the sousa mendes foundation. His disobedience again angered the portuguese government. Rifiutandosi di eseguire gli ordini del suo governo il regime di salazar e concedendo visti a rifugiati di tutte le nazionalita che dovevano fuggire dalla francia nel 1940, anno dellinvasione della francia da parte della germania nazista nella seconda guerra mondiale.
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. The government, embarrassed by the bessa lopes report, suppressed its existence for more than a decade. 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 mendess childhood, family, and career. Sousa mendes saved more lives than schindler so why isnt he. He was a portuguese diplomat who served his country for 30. 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. Having graduated in law, in the university of coimbra, in 1907, aristides unlike his father, who was a judge and his twin brother, who embarked in politics chooses to follow a consular career, mainly connected to administrative aspects, in particular. In addition, we learn about portugals neutral policy of the time.