4 ms·

Portugal finally recognises consul who saved thousands from Holocaust

123 points by Anon84 6y ago

miles 6y ago
"As Portugal's consul in Bordeaux, Aristides de Sousa Mendes faced a moral dilemma. Should he obey government orders or listen to his own conscience and supply Jews with the visas that would allow them to escape from advancing German forces? ... But his initiative also spelt the end of a diplomatic career under Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, and the rest of his life was spent in penury." Sounds exactly like Chiune Sugihara's story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiune_Sugihara https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiune_Sugihara https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/04/chiune-sugihara-my-father-japanese-schindler-saved-6000-jews-lithuania https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/04/chiune-sugihar...
- drocer88 6y ago
  From the wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes#Encounter_with_Rabbi_Chaim_Tzvi_Kruger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes#Enco... "Sousa Mendes was listed in the Portuguese Consular and Diplomatic Yearbook until 1954.[107][108] After the one year punishment with half-pay, he received a monthly payment of 1,593 Portuguese escudos per month.[109][110][111] According to Rui Afonso, "although it was not a salary of a prince, one should not forget that at that time, in Portugal, the monthly salary of a school teacher was only 500 Escudos".[109] When he died, in 1954 he was receiving a monthly salary of 2,300 escudos."
duxup 6y ago
There are so many stories like this that played out with events such as wide ranging as WWII, I had never heard this one before.
- 627467 6y ago
  Yes... Even in Portugal he wasn't that well known, not until he was voted 3rd Greatest Portuguese(TM) some years ago: right after Portuguese 30+years dictator Salazar (his nemesis) and Salazar's "nemesis" Communist Party leader Alvaro Cunhal.
  - rumanator 6y ago
    > Even in Portugal he wasn't that well known, not until he was voted 3rd Greatest Portuguese(TM) some years ago That doesn't sound coherent at all.
    - mhh__ 6y ago
      Sarcasm often isn't (to the uninitiated?)
brokenkebab 6y ago
"No-one really knows what went through his mind in those two or three days" Actually, it's kinda known. The consul was very religious, and he believed he learned God's will during these days - to help people fleeing from Germans.
lcam84 6y ago
The word "finally" makes it seem that Aristides Sousa Mendes work was not recognized by Portugal. Maybe it hadn't been officially recognized until now, but we are very proud of his actions.
- jacobush 6y ago
  But not as proud as over Salazar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Os_Grandes_Portugueses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Os_Grandes_Portugueses
  - antonioalegria 6y ago
    If you read the post you see that those results were likely from repeat voters organized for that.
  - lcam84 6y ago
    Sadly populism is growing everywhere
  - odshoifsdhfs 6y ago
    I don't think people should take much from this. It was a poll, made by a public TV channel (RTP) where people phoned in. This skews a lot to the older population (and idiots). While I am not in favour of the dictatorship we had at all, many in the old generation weren't so against it since their lives weren't affected by it so far (except the ones fighting in the colonies, but they blame the 'blacks' more than Salazar on that. My father (close to 70 now) says he felt safer during Salazar's time than now (which may be true). For that generation, saying 'the only good cop is a dead cop' in a march isn't important at all, it is even insulting and they will say that he deserves a beating, so their values and wants are different than 20-30 years old with our freedom of speech and gay kissing.
gregsadetsky 6y ago
There is a bit more information on Aristides De Sousa Mendes on Yad Vashem's site: https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/mendes.html https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/mendes.html His Wikipedia page is fascinating: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes There is even a small park dedicated to him in my hometown of Montreal (not far from where I used to live): https://goo.gl/maps/Xa1q7imrjT73Sf5M7 https://goo.gl/maps/Xa1q7imrjT73Sf5M7
CapitalistCartr 6y ago
Those who are Righteous Among the Nations are a list of people who show how great humans can be, when others are showing how monstrous. I find their stories difficult reading, but intensely rewarding. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Righteous_Among_the_Nations https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Righteous_Among_the_Nations
- xeromal 6y ago
  This is lovely. I'm impressed that they can choose to live in Israel and receive a pension if they so desire. That's a solid reward.
throwawaysbsh 6y ago
Franco’s ambassador to France also saved many Jews. I learned that when a Sephardi Jew I knew vehemently defended Franco’s honor, considering him personally responsible for saving his family’s life. Historians debate Franco’s responsibility in Spain’s role in saving French Jews, but this guy had no doubts!

123 points by Anon84 6y ago

"As Portugal's consul in Bordeaux, Aristides de Sousa Mendes faced a moral dilemma. Should he obey government orders or listen to his own conscience and supply Jews with the visas that would allow them to escape from advancing German forces? ... But his initiative also spelt the end of a diplomatic career under Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, and the rest of his life was spent in penury." Sounds exactly like Chiune Sugihara's story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiune_Sugihara https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiune_Sugihara https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/04/chiune-sugihara-my-father-japanese-schindler-saved-6000-jews-lithuania https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/04/chiune-sugihar...

drocer88 6y ago
From the wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes#Encounter_with_Rabbi_Chaim_Tzvi_Kruger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes#Enco... "Sousa Mendes was listed in the Portuguese Consular and Diplomatic Yearbook until 1954.[107][108] After the one year punishment with half-pay, he received a monthly payment of 1,593 Portuguese escudos per month.[109][110][111] According to Rui Afonso, "although it was not a salary of a prince, one should not forget that at that time, in Portugal, the monthly salary of a school teacher was only 500 Escudos".[109] When he died, in 1954 he was receiving a monthly salary of 2,300 escudos."

duxup 6y ago

There are so many stories like this that played out with events such as wide ranging as WWII, I had never heard this one before.

627467 6y ago
Yes... Even in Portugal he wasn't that well known, not until he was voted 3rd Greatest Portuguese(TM) some years ago: right after Portuguese 30+years dictator Salazar (his nemesis) and Salazar's "nemesis" Communist Party leader Alvaro Cunhal.
- rumanator 6y ago
  > Even in Portugal he wasn't that well known, not until he was voted 3rd Greatest Portuguese(TM) some years ago That doesn't sound coherent at all.
  - mhh__ 6y ago
    Sarcasm often isn't (to the uninitiated?)

brokenkebab 6y ago

"No-one really knows what went through his mind in those two or three days" Actually, it's kinda known. The consul was very religious, and he believed he learned God's will during these days - to help people fleeing from Germans.

lcam84 6y ago

The word "finally" makes it seem that Aristides Sousa Mendes work was not recognized by Portugal. Maybe it hadn't been officially recognized until now, but we are very proud of his actions.

jacobush 6y ago
But not as proud as over Salazar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Os_Grandes_Portugueses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Os_Grandes_Portugueses
- antonioalegria 6y ago
  If you read the post you see that those results were likely from repeat voters organized for that.
- lcam84 6y ago
  Sadly populism is growing everywhere
- odshoifsdhfs 6y ago
  I don't think people should take much from this. It was a poll, made by a public TV channel (RTP) where people phoned in. This skews a lot to the older population (and idiots). While I am not in favour of the dictatorship we had at all, many in the old generation weren't so against it since their lives weren't affected by it so far (except the ones fighting in the colonies, but they blame the 'blacks' more than Salazar on that. My father (close to 70 now) says he felt safer during Salazar's time than now (which may be true). For that generation, saying 'the only good cop is a dead cop' in a march isn't important at all, it is even insulting and they will say that he deserves a beating, so their values and wants are different than 20-30 years old with our freedom of speech and gay kissing.

gregsadetsky 6y ago

There is a bit more information on Aristides De Sousa Mendes on Yad Vashem's site: https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/mendes.html https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/mendes.html His Wikipedia page is fascinating: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes There is even a small park dedicated to him in my hometown of Montreal (not far from where I used to live): https://goo.gl/maps/Xa1q7imrjT73Sf5M7 https://goo.gl/maps/Xa1q7imrjT73Sf5M7

CapitalistCartr 6y ago

Those who are Righteous Among the Nations are a list of people who show how great humans can be, when others are showing how monstrous. I find their stories difficult reading, but intensely rewarding. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Righteous_Among_the_Nations https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Righteous_Among_the_Nations

xeromal 6y ago
This is lovely. I'm impressed that they can choose to live in Israel and receive a pension if they so desire. That's a solid reward.

throwawaysbsh 6y ago

Franco’s ambassador to France also saved many Jews. I learned that when a Sephardi Jew I knew vehemently defended Franco’s honor, considering him personally responsible for saving his family’s life. Historians debate Franco’s responsibility in Spain’s role in saving French Jews, but this guy had no doubts!