A Brave Swiss Diplomat Saved 62,000 Jewish People From The Nazis

Unsung Hero

The names of Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg, who risked their own lives and fortunes during World War II to help Europe’s Jews escape death at the hands of the Nazis, have been immortalized.

But what of the Swiss envoy Carl Lutz?

According to a recent investigation into war documents by the BBC, Lutz arrived in Budapest in 1942 to serve as neutral Switzerland’s vice-consul to Hungary. Hungary had already sided with Germany. But when the Germans occupied Hungary in 1944, they expedited efforts to exterminate Hungary’s Jews by deporting them to Auschwitz.

Using his diplomatic resources, Lutz began fudging letters of Swiss diplomatic protection to save them. The Nazis granted Lutz permission to issue only 8,000 letters to individuals with a direct connection to Western powers, but he managed to duplicate the letters to save entire families.

Historians estimate that his efforts saved as many as 62,000 lives.

“It is the largest civilian rescue operation of the Second World War,” said Holocaust expert Charlotte Schallié.

After the war, though, Lutz was reprimanded for overstepping his authority rather than feted for his heroism – primarily due to Switzerland’s strict policy of neutrality.

“Ask most people in Switzerland about Carl Lutz, and the answer will be, ‘Who?'”

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