As the German army marched across France, Aristides de Sousa Mendes faced a choice: obey his government or follow his conscience—and risk everything.
As the Portuguese consul-general in the French city of Bordeaux, he defied the orders of António de Oliveira Salazar’s Estado Novo regime, issuing visas and passports to an undetermined (thousands/tens of thousands) number of refugees fleeing Nazi Germany, including Jews.
For his efforts to save Jewish refugees, Sousa Mendes was recognized by Israel as one of the Righteous Among the Nations, the first diplomat to be so honored, in 1966.
Sorry, but I just don’t buy it.
Untold and untold. I’ve seen it quite a few times. It seens to have gained some traction the last couple of years on the interwebs.
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As the German army marched across France, Aristides de Sousa Mendes faced a choice: obey his government or follow his conscience—and risk everything.
As the Portuguese consul-general in the French city of Bordeaux, he defied the orders of António de Oliveira Salazar’s Estado Novo regime, issuing visas and passports to an undetermined (thousands/tens of thousands) number of refugees fleeing Nazi Germany, including Jews.
For his efforts to save Jewish refugees, Sousa Mendes was recognized by Israel as one of the Righteous Among the Nations, the first diplomat to be so honored, in 1966.
Sorry, but I just don’t buy it.
Untold and untold. I’ve seen it quite a few times. It seens to have gained some traction the last couple of years on the interwebs.
‘Untold’ might be a bit of an exaggeration since he is a member of the [Righteous Among the Nations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Righteous_Among_the_Nations).