Budapest Vacation Service...Raoul Wallenberg, Carl Lutz, Giorgio Perlasca etc.....
During the dark days of 1944 and 1945, there were many people who were willing to risk their lives to save the victims of the Nazi terror in Budapest.This page is dedicated to some of those heroes - diplomats, members of the clergy and ordinary civilians - who between them helped to save the lives of tens of thousands of Budapest's Jewish population.
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Raoul Wallenberg 1912-1947 (?)
Nationality: Swedish
Function in Budapest: First Secretary of the Swedish Diplomatic Mission
Raoul Wallenberg is the most well-known of all the diplomats, who made it their task to save the Jews of Hungary. Wallenberg arrived in Budapest in July 1944, as First Secretary of the Swedish Legation in Hungary, with the full authority of the Swedish government, to issue 'protective passports'. Read more ............
Nationality: Swedish
Function in Budapest: First Secretary of the Swedish Diplomatic Mission
Raoul Wallenberg is the most well-known of all the diplomats, who made it their task to save the Jews of Hungary. Wallenberg arrived in Budapest in July 1944, as First Secretary of the Swedish Legation in Hungary, with the full authority of the Swedish government, to issue 'protective passports'. Read more ............
Carl Lutz 1895 - 1975
Nationality: Swiss
Function in Budapest: Swiss Vice-Consul
Carl Lutz was responsible for saving tens of thousands of Jews from deportation or death, by issuing and distributing protective passes (Schutzpass), which made it possible for thousands of Jews to emigrate to Palestine and setting up more than 70 safe houses, including the legendary Glass House (Üvegház).
Read more.....
Nationality: Swiss
Function in Budapest: Swiss Vice-Consul
Carl Lutz was responsible for saving tens of thousands of Jews from deportation or death, by issuing and distributing protective passes (Schutzpass), which made it possible for thousands of Jews to emigrate to Palestine and setting up more than 70 safe houses, including the legendary Glass House (Üvegház).
Read more.....
Sister Sara / Sarah Salkahazi 1899 - 1944Nationality: Hungarian
Function in Budapest: Sister of Social Service
Sister Sarah Salkahazi sheltered hundreds of Jews in a building belonging to the Sisters of Social Service in Budapest during 1944. Eventually she was denounced to the authorities by a woman who worked in the building, which was then raided by the Hungarian Arrow Cross.
Read more............
Angel Sanz Briz 1910 - 1980Nationality: Spanish
Function in Budapest: Diplomat
Angel Sanz Briz, Spanish diplomat under the government of the Spanish fascist leader General Francisco Franco, arrived in Budapest in 1942 and took up his post as Charge D'affairs of Spain to Hungary.
Upon seeing the terrible situation and conditions for the Hungarian Jews in Budapest, Sanz Briz decided to use his diplomatic privileges to helpRead more...
Giorgio Perlasca 1910 - 1992Nationality: Italian
Function in Budapest: Procurement Official
Coronel José Arturo Castellanos 1893- 1977Nationality: Salvadoran
Function: Salvadoran Consul General
As El Salvador’s Consul General in Geneva, José Arturo Castellanos helped to save up to 40,000 Jews by issuing them with pre-signed Salvadoran citizenship documents, produced in Geneva and delivered to various Easter European countries by a network of couriers. The Salvadoran authorities requested the assistance of the Swiss legation in Budapest to 'protect these Salvadoran citizens.'
Carlos de Liz-Texeira Branquinho 1902-1973Nationality: Portuguese
Function in Budapest: Portuguese Chargé d'Affaires
Carlos de Liz-Texeira Branquinho was the Portuguese Chargé d'Affaires in Budapest in 1944. He issued safe conduct passes to all Jews with relatives in Portugal, Brazil, or the Portuguese colonies. Branquinho was authorized by the authorities to issue 500 safe conduct passes, but issued more than 800 and opened safe houses, which were raided several times by Arrow Cross militia. He also established a Portuguese Red Cross office to care for Jewish refugees.
Monsignor Angelo Rotta 1872-1965Nationality: Italian
Function in Budapest: Papal Nuncio (Ambassador)
Monsignor Angelo Rotta actively protested the deportation and murder of Hungarian Jews and issued more than 15,000 safe conduct certificates to Jews who were protected by the Vatican neutrality. He operated several safe houses throughout Budapest and appealed to the authorities "not to continue this war against the Jews beyond the limits prescribed by the laws of nature and the commandments of God". more.....
Gabor Sztehlo 1909 - 1974Nationality: Hungarian
Function in Budapest: Lutheran pastor
Gabor Sztehlo was appointed to represent the Lutheran church in a Calvinist-led Protestant organization In co-ordination with the International Red Cross and the Swiss Red Cross he established 32 homes in Budapest for Jewish children, and provided documents, stating that the children were Gentiles and thereby saving them from deportation or execution. Read more
Per Anger 1913 - 2002Nationality: Swedish
Function in Budapest: Swedish Legation Secretary
Per Anger as second secretary at the Swedish legation in Budapest, suggested the issuing of the protection documents, which helped Hungarian Jews to avoid deportation. In late 1944, Anger helped Raoul Wallenberg to rescue Jews from deportation trains. He also helped Wallenberg distribute food and water to Jews on the death marches from Budapest to the Austrian border in 1945.
Dr. Valdemar Langlet 1872 - 1960Nationality: Swedish
Function in Budapest: Swedish Red Cross Delegate
Valdemar Langlet and his wife Nina distributed 2,000 Swedish Red Cross protective documents to Hungarian Jews, enabling them to escape deportation by the Nazis and Arrow Cross.
The Swedish Red Cross gave medical aid to numerous Budapest hospitals and provided 14 protectedhouses, and organized hiding places for Jews in convents.
Kalman Ferenczfalvi 1921 - 2005Nationality: Hungarian
Function in Budapest: Supply Officer
As an administrator of a Jewish forced labour brigade, Kalman Ferenczfalvi designated the workers to guard the Budapest headquarters of the International Red Cross, thereby protecting the brigade members from the Nazis and Arrow Cross. He also forged documents for Jews and others, which were accepted as genuine by the Nazis eventually saving about 2,000 lives.
In 1988 he was granted the title of 'Righteous Among The Nations' by Israel's Yad Vashem Institute.
Friedrich Born 1903-1963Nationality: Swiss
Function in Budapest: Delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Friedrich Born, delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Budapest until January 1945, recruited up to 3,000 Jews to work in his offices and established several ICRC safe houses.
Born issued 15,000 ICRC protection documents, which helped to prevent the deportation of thousands of Hungarian Jews.
Pal Szalai 1915 - 1994Nationality: Hungarian
Function in Budapest: Police Officer
From 1939 to 1942 Szalai was a member of the Arrow Cross Party. Disillusioned with the party's ideology, he resigned and in 1944 became a police officer and set about helping the Budapest Jews. Szalai met Raoul Wallenberg and they arranged deliveries of food and water to the Ghetto. He regularly provided Wallenberg with 'inside information', which helped to prevent the planned liquidation of the ghetto and death of thousands of Jews.
Giorgio Perlasca's function in Budapest was the procurement of supplies for the Italian military. Following the Italian surrender and the Nazi occupation of Hungary in 1944, he was obliged to leave Hungary. He decided to stay on however and sought refuge in the Spanish Embassy under the assumed name Jorge Perlasca. Read more.......
László Ocskay 1893 - 1966Nationality: Hungarian
Function in Budapest: Hungarian Army Captain
Responsible for saving the lives of approximately 2,500 Jews.
In his function as Director of the Clothing Collection Labour Service Company, based at the Abonyi Utca Jewish School, Ocskay managed to arrange protection from Arrow Cross militia raids at the building by armed Nazi SS officers. During this time, László Ocskay worked closely with Raoul Wallenberg.
In 2003 he was granted the title of 'Righteous Among The Nations' by Israel's Yad Vashem Institute.
Katalin Karady 1910-1990
Nationality: Hungarian
Function in Budapest: Singer and actress
Star of stage and screen, Katalin Karady was arrested by the Gestapo on 1944 on suspicion of spying, beaten and tortured for 3 months. After her release from prison, she set about rescuing Jewish families and children from execution at the banks of the River Danube by bribing Arrow Cross guards with her personal belongings and jewellery.
Katalin Karady was granted the title of 'Righteous Among The Nations' by Israel's Yad Vashem Institute in 2004.
Nationality: Hungarian
Function in Budapest: Singer and actress
Star of stage and screen, Katalin Karady was arrested by the Gestapo on 1944 on suspicion of spying, beaten and tortured for 3 months. After her release from prison, she set about rescuing Jewish families and children from execution at the banks of the River Danube by bribing Arrow Cross guards with her personal belongings and jewellery.
Katalin Karady was granted the title of 'Righteous Among The Nations' by Israel's Yad Vashem Institute in 2004.
Jane Haining 1897-1944Nationality: British (Scottish)
Function in Budapest: Missionary at the Scottish Mission
Despite being ordered back to Scotland when the Nazis occupied Hungary, Jane Haining stayed to care for the Jewish orphans who were being sheltered at the Scottish Mission in Budapest. Denounced and arrested, was deported along with some of her Jewish children to the death camp at Auschwitz and was gassed along with a number of Hungarian women. Jane Haining was granted the title of 'Righteous Among The Nations' by Israel's Yad Vashem Institute in 1997.