THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE For the commemoration of Aristides de Sousa
Mendes has ordanized a campaign to pay tributed to the late Dr. Arristides
de Sousa Mendes do Amaral e Abranches (above with his wife Angelina). a
Portuguese Catholic who was instumental in saving the lives of 30,000 Jews
and others during World War II As Portuguese Consul General in Bordeaux
from 1938 to 1940. Dr. Mendes (1885-1954) issued Portuguese visas
to those fleeing Nazi invasions, the gesture earning him the title Righteous
Gentile |
Dr. Sousa Mendes at 35
|
THE MENDES FAMILY had this snapshot taken in 1929 when Aristides was about
44. Since the war, several of the children have devoted themselves
to documenting their father's story and assisting Jewish champions in keeping
Dr. Mendes' memory alive. Jerusalem has issued a medallion in Mendes'
homor, recalling the Talmudic dictum, "One who saves a human life saves
as it were a whole world." In the United States, the International Committee
has headquarters in Oakland, Ca, and numerous Congressmen have been enlisted
to promote further recognition of a man they and other students of the
Holocaust describe as "one of the greatest humanitarians of the dark period
in history. |
