Aid and Rescue: Righteous Diplomats and Others

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  Schutz-Pass for Karl Fodor

  2012.1.86

  Front: Issued to Karl Fodor, born on July 29,1934. Divided into four boxes, photo is in top right. Back: Seven typed lines with handstamps including handwritten signatures above and below as well as an oval Budapest handstamp below. Additional handstamp in bottom right corner

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  A photostatic copy of Swedish Schutz-Pass issued to Karl Fodor of Budapest, Hungary, of the type issued by Raoul Wallenberg to the Jews in Budapest. It is signed and stamped by the Royal Swedish legation. Initialed by Wallenberg lower left and notarized with certification stamp verso. The Schutz-Pass was a Swedish legal document providing the protection of the neutral Swedish government to its recipient.

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  Hungarian Schutz-Pass for Eva Lederer with Swedish Diplomat and Ambassador Carl Ivan Danielsson Signature and Raoul Wallenberg Initials

  2014.1.478

  Front: Pass is divided up into 4 yellow boxes. Three yellow crowns rest in the middle. Identification photo in upper right corner. Purple hand stamp on bottom

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Danielsson worked with Wallenberg at the Swedish Legation in Budapest and was instrumental in helping save Jews from deportation to Auschwitz.

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  Letter of Exemption signed by Wallenberg

  2021.1.118

  Collage of Raoul Wallenberg letter, photograph and plaque.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  A Letter of Exemption signed by Raoul Wallenberg issued August 24, 1944, designed to protect the daughter of a Hungarian art collector by identifying her as a Swedish subject thereby exempting her from wearing the yellow star and ultimately safeguarding her from deportation and murder in the Nazi death camps. Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from extermination during WWII, would be recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations. He would be recognized as well as the 13th Honorary Citizen of the United States.

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  Swiss Schutzbrief (Letter of Protection) Issued to Bela Feldmann by the Swiss Legation in Budapest under Vice-Consul Carl Lutz

  2014.1.474

  White paper with Red Cross seal, titled, "Schweizerische Gesandtschaft Abteilung Für Fremde Interessen."

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Swiss Letter of Protection issued in Budapest 10/23/1944 with red Swiss Coat of Arms in letterhead. Swiss Legation stamp appended. A lifesaving document.

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  Alberto Carlos de Liz Teixeira Branquinho Righteous of Nations Portuguese Diplomat (1902-1973), Signed Consular ID

  2023.1.11

  Exterior: burgundy fabric with gold printing; Interior: photograph and with hand stamp and signature on left; form with red and green diagonal stripe

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Branquinho, an interim diplomatic official chargé d’affaires in the Portuguese Legation in 1944, is credited with having saved as many as 1000 Jewish lives from deportation to Auschwitz during his tenure. He issued Portuguese visas on behalf of Hungarian Jews with family or business relations in Portugal or Brazil or Portuguese colonies. After the Arrow Cross Party takeover, he issued - along with Lutz, Wallenberg, and other diplomats - protective passes to Jews, who were then placed in diplomatically protected buildings in Budapest’s International Ghetto set up by the Arrow Cross Party government. He was also instrumental in establishing an office of the Portuguese Red Cross at the embassy to care for Jewish refugees. As Portugal’s immigration policies under Salazar had become less restrictive during this period, Branquinho issued Portuguese passports and provisional passports to Jewish families whose ultimate destination was Mandatory Palestine.

  In late October 1944, Branquinho received instructions from Lisbon to go to Bregenz, Austria. Here an agreement was forged between the Hungarian government and the German ambassador to respect Jews and their family members sheltered in the Portuguese Legation building in Budapest.

  This agreement provides the context for the following document: a consular ID signed by Branquinho on October 23, 1944.

  This consular ID belonged to “Frau Robert Peto” who is described as the sister of a Dr. Miklos Svab, an employee at the Portuguese Legation in Hungary. An earlier document, a provisional passport also signed by Branquinho in August 1944, has Mrs. Peto’s maiden name as Elizabeth Schonfeld, the current wife of Robert Peto. She is 46 years old, without a profession, and is described as returning to Portuguese territory: Lisbon (though she is originally from Tolcsva, Hungary). Being identified as the sister of an embassy employee - Dr. Svab - afforded an extra measure of protection from the murderous Arrow Cross given for a Jewish woman consistent with the agreement reached in Bregenz.

  As a consequence of Branquinho’s heroism, a total of 200 Jews in the Portuguese Legation building in Budapest were saved from deportation to Auschwitz, including 50 who sheltered there and 35 Jewish employees and their families. Among the latter were Mrs. Peto and Dr. Svab.

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  Carl Lutz Protective Pass (Schutzpass) Issued to Margaret Anne Karolyi

  2019.2.22

  "SCHUTZPASS" in black text across top of document, four pink squares with white borders, photo of young girl in upper left quadrant.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Schutzpass issued to 5-year-old Margaret Anne Karolyi, by the Swiss Department of Foreign Interests led by Carl Lutz, endorsed by the Swiss legation, Budapest, October 27, 1944. Stamped endorsement, and stamped C. Lutz signature.

  As Swiss Vice-Consul in Budapest from 1942-1945, Lutz was instrumental in rescuing Hungarian Jews from deportation by both Nazis and Hungarians. He is credited with issuing 10,000 documents allowing Jewish children to emigrate to Palestine in 1942. Later, having negotiated permission to issue 8,000 protective passes, Lutz “re-interpreted” that number and applied it to families rather than individuals. By this strategy he was able to save more than 60,000 Jews from deportation to Auschwitz and certain death. He established 76 protective houses to shelter and place under diplomatic protection these document holders, often having to confront the dreaded Arrow Cross from raids on these houses himself. After the war, Lutz married Magda Grausz, one of the Jewish women that he saved. He was honored as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 1965.

  [Related items: 2019.2.23 and 2019.2.24]

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  Swedish Red Cross Protection for Jewish Man Signed by Valdemar Langlet

  2014.1.461

  Swedish document titled, "Svéed Vöröskereszt." Includes Red Cross symbol at top.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  This lifesaving document states that the Swedish Red Cross in Hungary certifies that Gyorgy Karoli is under Swedish protection. These documents, issued at great personal risk to the lives of Valdemar Langlet and his wife Nina, enabled Jews in Hungary to escape deportation to Auschwitz or slaughter at the hands of the Arrow Cross.

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  Protective Letter Issued by Angelo Rotta to Dr. Vilcsek Jenóné

  2014.1.480

  Typewritten letter titled, "Oltalomlevél" with blue hand stamp and signature.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Original protective letter issued by the Apostolic Nunciature in Budapest, signed by Angelo Rotta, Papal Nuncio, with the stamp of the Nunciature. Monsignor Angelo Rotta, as Vatican Diplomat in Bulgaria and later Papal Nuncio in Hungary, saved the lives of thousands of Jews in both countries by issuing false Baptismal certificates, visas to travel to Palestine, and at least 15,000 protective letters as well as establishing "Protected Houses" in Budapest. Monsignor Rotta also distributed hundreds of safe-conduct certificates to Jews in labor camps, deportation centers and death marches. In Budapest he protested to the Hungarian government against the deportation and murder of Hungarian Jews. He is recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" by Israel.

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  Letter of Protection for Hungarian Jews Issued by Angel Sanz-Briz

  2015.2.86

  Tan paper with typewritten message. Photograph of family of four: older man on left, woman on right, child above and betwen them, child in front of mother. Black circular handstamp over photo and on bottom left. Black signature on bottom right.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Angel Sanz-Briz was a Spanish diplomat who saved the lives of thousands of Jews who were destined to be deported to Auschwitz by creating fake documents and purchasing safe houses for them. This document is a letter of protection for a Mr. and Mrs. Tibor and Tiborné Neisser, residents of Budapest, Hungary. Sanz-Briz writes that their relatives are living in Spain, which is the reason they are requesting Spanish citizenship. The Spanish Embassy is authorized to obtain an entry visa for them before all paperwork is ready. The Spanish Embassy has therefore requested on competent authority to release them as forced labor service persons. Sanz-Briz was posted to Switzerland in advance of the Russian army. However, his position was taken over by Giorgio Perlasca, who is renowned for continuing Sanz-Briz’s work. Angel Sanz-Briz has been recognized by Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations” for saving Jewish lives and in so doing placing himself at great risk.

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  International Committee of the Red Cross Protective Pass for Jew Helene Mayer Signed by Friedrich Born with stamp of Red Cross

  2014.1.462

  Small booklet titled, "Comité International de la Croix-Rouge de Genève" with Red Cross.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Item issued by Friedrich Born, the Swiss delegate of the Comité Internationale de la Croix Rouge de Geneva (International Committee of the Red Cross), signed by Born with the stamp of the Red Cross. Photograph missing. This pass certifies that the holder is in the service and under the protection of the International Committee of the Red Cross. It requests authorities to give all necessary support to the holder. Born saved 6,000 children by placing them in Red Cross protected homes. He was as well able to secure protective letters from the Vatican. Israel recognized Born’s heroic efforts in saving more than 11,000 lives by recognizing him as “Righteous Among the Nations.”

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  Letter of Protection for Wife of a Doctor Signed by Valdemar Langlet

  2015.2.189

  Front: White paper with printed return address in upper left corner, a red cross in the middle, and the date to the right. Typewritten message with blue cursive ink written onto the blanks with a signature on the right. Bottom left has a white stamp with a black and white photo of a young woman with dark hair in a coat. To the right of the black and white stamp is a purple hand stamp with a cross in the middle.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Lifesaving document issued to a Hungarian Jewish physician's wife attesting Swedish citizenship and consequently under "special Swedish protection." Swedish Red Cross stamp to the right of picture of bearer of document. Valdemar Langlet, a Swedish publisher, and his wife Nina are credited with saving the lives of many Hungarian Jews by providing such letters of protection claiming that the individual in question was awaiting Swedish nationality. The Langlets as well arranged for safe houses and orphanages for the beleaguered Jews who were under threat of deportation. Both Valdemar and Nina were honored in 1965 as “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem.

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  Protective Pass issued to Hungarian Jew by Papal Nuncio Cardinal Rotta in Budapest

  2015.2.212

  White paper with black printed text and dotted lines, as well as typewritten text. Includes a signature on the bottom right and a blue circular hand stamp.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Monsignor Angelo Rotta spearheaded diplomatic protests against the Nazi persecution of Jews in Hungary, and issued Vatican passes that saved the lives of thousands of Jews. He appealed to authorities against the deportation of Jews, and at his request a pastoral letter denouncing the deportations was eventually issued by Cardinal Seredi at the end of June 1944, by which time only the Jews of Budapest had not been deported. Cardinal Rotta obtained permission from the fascist Szalasi government to issue Vatican protective passes to Jewish converts to Catholicism. He issued more than 15,000 such passes, asking his staff not to examine the recipients' documents too closely. He was influential in persuading other church leaders to hide Jews in convents and monasteries. He set up safe houses for the recipients of the Vatican passes. For his efforts in saving thousands of Jews from certain death, Cardinal Rotta was honored as one of the Righteous Among Nations by Yad Vashem in 1997.

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  International Committee of the Red Cross Letter Signed by Swiss Delegate, Friedrich Born

  2021.1.90

  Letter dated December 11, 1944 and signed “Born Frigyes” with the header “Comité International de la Croix-Rouge” and a logo with a red cross in the middle of it on the top left

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Friedrich Born was appointed Chief Delegate of the Swiss International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Budapest, Hungary in May 1944. He was responsible for issuing thousands of Red Cross protective letters – Schutzbriefs - to the imperiled Jews of Budapest. With his many assistants and volunteers, Born was able to save thousands of Jews from deportation camps and death marches in and around Budapest. Many more were given employment papers, effectively preventing their deportation. Working with other diplomats, Red Cross protected houses were created. Jewish institutions were placed under Red Cross protection, housing Jewish children and orphans. He is credited with rescuing as many as 7,000 to 15,000 (some estimates are as high as 25,000) Jewish lives while in Budapest. In 1987 Born received the title “Righteous Among the Nations” from Israel for saving Jewish lives.

  Born wrote this document to keep Farkas Bethlen in his employ. The latter was in fact a Count, from a noble family that went back hundreds of years. Bethlen’s civic and military situation was at this time under review. Until such time as there was a resolution, Born hoped to retain him in Budapest. There is an attestation signed by the minister below which authorizes Born to retain Farkas. This document is dated December 11, 1944. Szalasi’s far-right Arrow Cross thugs would continue to murder thousands of Jews, drowning many in the Danube, tying them together in pods. In nine days, the Red Army would launch its offensive, encircling and occupying Budapest. Within days of writing this letter Born withdrew to his home in Buda where he continued to direct the ICRC.

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  Swedish Red Cross Schutzpass Signed by Valdemar Langlet

  2014.1.460

  Navy booklet titled, "Skyddsbrev Otalomlevél Schutzbrief" with a red cross on cover.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Valdemar Langlet and his wife Nina Borovko-Langlet are credited with saving many Jews in Budapest by providing documents saying that the person carrying them was awaiting Swedish nationality. The Langlets were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.

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  Recha Sternbuch and Orphaned Children in Aix-Les-Bains, France

  2023.1.12

  front: Image of crowd of people, mostly children, gathered around a doorway to a building.

  back: “Editors: This picture is being used by the New York Mirror in its Monday (Dec. 10th) editions to illustrate the Himmler story being sent you by INS.

  MR1030174_Watch your credit…International News Photo Slug (Children’s Home – Rabbi Levine)

  Haven of children orphaned by Nazi Brutality – Aix-Les-Maines, France……The day many of these children, orphaned by Nazi brutality, have been waiting for finally arrives. They are about to enter a home free of the horrors of concentration camps. Rabbi Isaac Levine, of New York City, representative of the Vaad Hatzala of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Candada, is shown nailing a mezuzah (a scroll intended to protect a home from harm) on the door of the Children’s home of Agudas Horabbonim at Aix-Les-Mains, France. The woman in the black hat is believed to be Mrs. Isaac Sternbuch, wife of the Swiss underground leader, who played such an important role in rescuing refugees from the Nazis.”

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Isaac and Recha Sternbuch were Orthodox Jews and business owners living in Bern, Switzerland throughout WWII. They were Swiss representatives of Vaad Hatzalah, the American Union of Orthodox Rabbis rescue committee. Recha was a tireless and persistent activist helping Jewish refugees in Switzerland, sending aid packages to Jews in Poland and Czechoslovakia, and smuggling refugees turned away by Swiss border guards. Following closely what was happening in the Nazi occupied countries in Europe, she alerted Jewish leaders in the United States to the deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto.

  Working with Polish ambassador Alexander Lados and Julius Kuhl of the Lados group in Bern, the Sternbuchs helped secure Latin American passports for Jews. Remarkably, in the last months of the war Recha was able to negotiate through Jean Marie Musy, former President of Switzerland and friend of Heinrich Himmler, an exchange of money for Jewish prisoners. Before the deal was shut down by collaborators, she was able to extricate 1200 Jews from the concentration camp Theresienstadt to Switzerland.

  This press photo is post-World War II, possibly late 1945 or 1946. Recha Sternbuch is shown with her young charges: surviving Jewish children retrieved from non-Jewish orphanages, convents, and private homes. She is placing “… these children, orphaned by Nazi brutality” in a children’s home “free of the horrors of concentration camps.” She is pictured with “Rabbi Isaac Levine, a New York representative of Vaad Hatzalah … shown nailing a Mezuzah on the door of the children’s home of Agudas Horabbonim at Aix-Les-Mains (sic), France.”

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  Martha Sharp Post-War Press Photo Prior to her Run for Congress from Massachusetts in 1946

  2022.1.32

  Female looking straight at camera with arms crossed, large bow at chest with brooch.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Waitstill Sharp, a Harvard-trained lawyer and ordained Unitarian minister, and his wife Martha, a social worker, embraced a mission in Europe on behalf of the Unitarian Church intended to help Jews, political dissidents, and other refugees attempting to flee Nazi persecution. Leaving their own children in the care of trusted friends, they set sail for Prague, Czechoslovakia. They worked with the American embassy and the British Friends providing humanitarian relief and assistance with emigration, including helping prospective emigrés find work in America. Martha helped with Kindertransports and accompanied adult refugees by train to England. After six months - narrowly escaping arrest - the Sharps left Europe for the United States, arriving just before WW2 broke out in 1939.

  The Sharps were again importuned to return to France as ambassadors for the Unitarian Service Committee. The German occupation of Paris forced them to establish headquarters in Lisbon, where they helped intellectuals and political refugees escape. Waitstill focused his efforts on Lisbon, while Martha set up in Marseilles at the Unitarian Committee office, working collaboratively with Varian Fry and the Emergency Rescue Committee, assisting refugees negotiate the French-Spanish border and helping with travel arrangements once they were able to reach Lisbon. Notably, she organized a children’s transport to the US, securing the requisite IDs, visas and transit permits for 29 children and 10 adults. This effort would become a model for other such transports of refugee children.

  In 1963, the Sharps became the second and third US citizens - after Varian Fry - honored by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations. Martha continued her humanitarian efforts after the war, helping Jews and promoting the state of Israel.

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  Postcard with Southwest View of Chambon-Sur-Lignon, France

  2014.1.464

  Front: Black and white photograph of the southwest view of Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon.Back: Message written in blue ink.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  From 1940 to 1944 the villagers of Le Chambon had provided shelter in their homes and farms, forged IDs, and facilitated escape for some children to Switzerland or Spain, ultimately saving more than 3000 Jewish children fleeing the Nazis and their Vichy collaborators. This extraordinary effort was guided by the Protestant pastor of the village, André Trochmé and his wife Magda. Despite continued threats by Vichy collaborators, none of the villagers betrayed their charges. The entire community of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon has been honored by Yad Vashem as Righteous Gentiles, the first community to be so honored.

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  Photograph of André Trocmé

  2014.1.463

  A photograph of an older man wearing a striped suit and glasses.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  From 1940 to 1944 the villagers of Le Chambon had provided shelter in their homes and farms, forged IDs, and facilitated escape for some children to Switzerland or Spain, ultimately saving more than 3000 Jewish children fleeing the Nazis and their Vichy collaborators. This extraordinary effort was guided by the Protestant pastor of the village, André Trochmé and his wife Magda. Despite continued threats by Vichy collaborators, none of the villagers betrayed their charges. The entire community of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon has been honored by Yad Vashem as Righteous Gentiles, the first community to be so honored.

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  Rachel Saltiel's Post-War Spanish Passport with Israeli Visas and Consular Stamps

  2022.1.56

  Blue booklet with bird and shield on cover, includes photograph on page 2 of 32 pages, no marks on pages 12-30.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Rachel Pinhas de Saltiel and her husband Mentech Saltiel y Saporta, both of Spanish descent, belonged to the ancient Sephardi community of diaspora Jews in Thessaloniki, Greece, whose origin could be traced to the Spanish Expulsion of 1492. Sebastian de Romero Radigales- Consul General of Spain in Athens- used his authority to try to protect the Sephardi Jews who were being deported from Thessaloniki to Auschwitz (48,000 Jews deported between March and August, 1943), invoking a 1924 decree which gave Sephardi Jews of the diaspora-descendants of the Spanish Expulsion of 1492- a right to Spanish citizenship. Romero Radigales made repeated demands on the German ambassador that Jews with Spanish heritage should not be deported, but rather repatriated to their country of origin. Ironically, he found the Germans amenable to this, while Spain’s Francoist regime resisted his efforts to repatriate Jews from Thessalonica who had Spanish citizenship, the 1924 decree notwithstanding.

  In August 1943, the Germans identified 367 Jews with Spanish citizenship who were subsequently interned in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp from August, 1943 to February 1944, to be used for a possible trade with the Allies. The group included Rachel Saltiel and her husband Mentech. Heated negotiations occurred between Spanish diplomats and German authorities until Romero Radigales was able to change his own government’s position and allow these Belsen interns to be transferred to Spanish Morocco. Rachel and her husband Mentech would eventually take up residence in Tel Aviv.

  [see related item: 2022.1.16]

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  Postcard of Pope Saint John XXIII

  2015.2.79

  Black and white photograph of a man in profile facing left. He wears all white, and a rope around his neck. Gives a printed signature beneath. Back: Printed black postcard lines. Greetings message written in blue ink. Some water damage. Addressed to Mrs. J. Gallagher in Richmond Hill, New York. Two stamps in upper right corner. The left stamp is blue and shows men in battle. The right stamp is purple and shows men in battle near a church. Two black handstamps over the pasted stamps, one with text and a lantern, the other a black circular hand stamp.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  "The Good Pope” John served as Pope from 1958 to 1963. The card was sent by a priest who later became a Vatican representative. The Raoul Wallenberg Foundation has catalogued some of Pope John's extensive humanitarian actions on behalf of Jews during the Holocaust when he was Apostolic Delegate Monsignor Angelo Roncalli. Published reports about his actions during World War II, collated by the Foundation, can be found on their website and include the following verified actions: Delivery of "immigration certificates" to Palestine through the Nunciature diplomatic courier. Rescue of Jews by means of certificates of "baptism of convenience" sent by Monsignor Roncalli to priests in Europe. Intervention before King Boris of Bulgaria in favor of Bulgarian Jews. Intervention in favor of Jewish refugees from Transnistria. Intervention in favor of Italian Jewish refugees on request of Isaac Herzog, Great Rabbi of Palestine. Intervention in favor of Jewish refugees from Romania, Slovakia and Croatia. Intervention in favor of Jewish refugees from Greece. Intervention in favor of Jewish refugees from France, Germany and Hungary. Monsignor Roncalli's personal disposition to help Jewish refugees taken to Istanbul or in transit to Palestine. The effects of these interventions varied depending on the situation but were palpable and effective. For example, Slovakian children were able to leave the country. Some Hungarian Jews were saved from deportation to Auschwitz through baptismal certificates sent to the Hungarian Nuncio Monsignor Angelo Rotta by Monsignor Roncalli. Importantly, his work on behalf of Jewish-Christian reconciliation continued throughout his papacy. The Raoul Wallenberg Foundation has been advocating for some time for the bestowal of the title Righteous Among the Nations upon Roncalli.

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  Righteous Among the Nations Attestation for Spiro Denkof

  2021.1.92

  Righteous Among the Nations Attestation for Bulgarian Hero Spiro Denkof.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  This attestation was granted to Spiro Denkof in 1971 for risking his life to save Jews in Bulgaria during the "epoch of extermination." Denkof had lived in the Jewish Quarter of Sofia, and helped Jewish families in need, providing them with food and money. He smuggled Jews expelled from Sofia over the border to Romania and eventual freedom in Palestine. After the war, Denkof himself was arrested and imprisoned for helping Jews with illegal immigration to Palestine. His Jewish friends eventually supported his application for citizenship in Israel. In 1971 Denkof was recognized as a Righteous Among the Nations.

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  David and Rella Gelberman; Their Lives Were Saved by Wallenberg

  2012.1.148

  Man and woman in hats with glasses. Back: 'Detroit Free Press Photo' Stamp with newspaper clipping taped to back.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: 1979 press photo of David and Rella Gelberman, whose lives were saved by Raoul Wallenberg. "We owe our lives to God, and Wallenberg."

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  Irena Sendler [Sendlerova] Autograph

  2015.2.61

  Front: White card with printed photograph of an older woman in black sitting and looking at the camera. A chest with teacups and photos resting on top of it is behind her. Beneath the photograph is an autograph in blue ink.Back: Pencil writing on top.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Irena Sendler (Sendlerova), also known as Jolanta, was a Polish Roman Catholic nurse/social worker who worked in the Polish Underground during World War II. She was the head of the children's section of Zegota in German-occupied Warsaw. She was able, with the help of other members of Zegota, to smuggle 2500 children out of the Warsaw Ghetto and secure false identity papers and housing for them, thus saving their lives. On strips of paper hidden in a jar, she wrote their birth names and their new names. Arrested and tortured by the Gestapo in 1943, she refused to divulge the names of her comrades or those of her rescued children. She was sentenced to death by firing squad but was saved by Zegota by bribing the German guards. She lived in hiding yet continued her efforts to help the children. She was honored by Yad Vashem as one of the Polish Righteous Among the Nations. Pope John Paul II also praised her efforts. The recipient of many awards, the Polish Government presented her as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

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  Irena Sendler Commemorative Card, Poland

  2014.1.470

  Printed postcard titled, "Kto ratuje jedno życie, to jakby ratował cały świat" with black and white picture of a young woman.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

  Irena Sendler (Sendlerova), also known as Jolanta, was a Polish Roman Catholic nurse/social worker who worked in the Polish Underground during World War II. She was the head of the children's section of Zegota in German-occupied Warsaw. She was able, with the help of other members of Zegota, to save the lives of 2,500 children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto, as well as securing false identity papers and housing for them. She wrote their birth names and their new names on strips of paper hidden in a jar. Arrested and tortured by the Gestapo in 1943, she refused to divulge the names of her comrades or those of her rescued children. She was sentenced to death by firing squad but was saved by Zegota by bribing the German guards. She lived in hiding yet continued her efforts to help the children. She was honored by Yad Vashem as one of the Polish Righteous Among the Nations. Pope John Paul II also praised her efforts. The recipient of many awards, the Polish Government presented her as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

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  Collectable Card of Gino Bartali

  2014.1.482

  Front: Illustration of Gino Bartali in yellow shirt titled, "Sport Kings Gum."Back: Information printed in green.

  Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Gino Bartali was a much beloved champion cyclist who had won the Giro d'Italia three times and the Tour de France on two occasions. A devout Catholic with strong moral convictions, he risked his life to help Jews living in Italy. A messenger in the military, he transported identity documents for Jews, as well as distributed money from a Swiss bank account to Jews in hiding in Florence. He hid his friend Giacomo Goldenberg and his family in his own apartment, and then in a nearby basement. For his selfless heroism he was declared Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in Israel in 2010.