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Remembering Polish diplomat who helped Jews in WWII

PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki 29.12.2018 14:00
Government officials, military men and residents have paid tribute to a Polish diplomat who helped Jews during World War II.
Poland's Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz (second from right) leads a wreath-laying ceremony at Warsaw’s Powązki cemetery on Friday. Photo: PAP/Jakub KamińskiPoland's Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz (second from right) leads a wreath-laying ceremony at Warsaw’s Powązki cemetery on Friday. Photo: PAP/Jakub Kamiński

Saturday marked 55 years since the death of Aleksander Ładoś, a Polish diplomat who during World War II led an informal group based in Bern, Switzerland, that fabricated passports for Jews from ghettos in German-occupied Poland to save them from the Holocaust.

In a ceremony at Warsaw’s Powązki cemetery a day earlier, officials laid wreaths at Ładoś’s grave.

After the ceremony, which was also attended by members of Poland's Jewish community, Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said that Ładoś was a role model for all those working in international relations, a “man of courage and diplomatic talent” who skillfully navigated the intricacies of wartime politics to save people's lives.

During the war, Ładoś served as Poland's ambassador to Switzerland. He is credited with helping hundreds of Jews escape from Poland at a time when the country was under Nazi German occupation.

In addition to Ładoś, the Bern-based group included Konstanty Rokicki, Juliusz Kuehl and Stefan Ryniewicz, according to public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency.

After nearly 75 years Poland has recovered a historical archive documenting the effort in which its diplomats helped rescue Jews from the Holocaust during World War II, the IAR news agency reported in August.

The collection originally belonged to Chaim Eiss (1867-1943), an Orthodox Jewish activist who was a member of the Bern-based group led by Ładoś.

It is estimated that the diplomats produced from several hundred to several thousand fake passports between 1941 and 1943.

(gs)

Source: IAR

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