Congressional Gold Medal For Swiss Diplomat Who Saved Thousands Of Jews

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Carl Lutz managed to save around 62,000 Jews – almost half of those who survived the German occupation in Hungary Keystone / Str

The Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz is to be posthumously honoured with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honour bestowed by the United States Congress.

This content was published on April 18, 2023 April 18, 2023 Keystone-SDA/ts

Lutz (1895-1975) saved tens of thousands of Jews from deportation to concentration camps during the Second World War but was reprimanded by Switzerland for overstepping his competencies.

He was nominated for the award along with other Holocaust rescuers, the carl lutz societyexternal link announced on Tuesday.

New legislation is currently receiving bipartisan support to posthumously honour US and binational Holocaust rescuers, said Xavier Cornuz, president of the Carl Lutz Society. Cornuz said confirmation of the bill by votes in both houses of Congress could take up to two years, but he was in no doubt about a positive outcome.

Lutz, a diplomat from Appenzell, was Swiss vice-consul in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, from 1942 until the end of the Second World War. There he headed the foreign interests department and thus also represented the interests of numerous countries that were at war with Hungary, including for example the US and UK.

At the time, Hungary was a relatively safe place for Jews, despite harassment and racist legislation. But Lutz was already helping Jewish children by issuing tens of thousands of protective letters which allowed them to emigrate to the British-controlled Palestinian Territories.

In 1944 the situation changed dramatically with the arrival of the Nazis. Hundreds of people began besieging the Swiss consulate day and night, looking for a way to survive.

In total Lutz managed to save around 62,000 Jews – almost half of those who survived the German occupation in Hungary.

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