"As Portugal's consul in Bordeaux, Aristides de Sousa Mendes faced a moral dilemma. Should he obey government orders or listen to his own conscience and supply Jews with the visas that would allow them to escape from advancing German forces? ... But his initiative also spelt the end of a diplomatic career under Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, and the rest of his life was spent in penury."
"Sousa Mendes was listed in the Portuguese Consular and Diplomatic Yearbook until 1954.[107][108] After the one year punishment with half-pay, he received a monthly payment of 1,593 Portuguese escudos per month.[109][110][111] According to Rui Afonso, "although it was not a salary of a prince, one should not forget that at that time, in Portugal, the monthly salary of a school teacher was only 500 Escudos".[109] When he died, in 1954 he was receiving a monthly salary of 2,300 escudos."
Yes... Even in Portugal he wasn't that well known, not until he was voted 3rd Greatest Portuguese(TM) some years ago: right after Portuguese 30+years dictator Salazar (his nemesis) and Salazar's "nemesis" Communist Party leader Alvaro Cunhal.
"No-one really knows what went through his mind in those two or three days"
Actually, it's kinda known. The consul was very religious, and he believed he learned God's will during these days - to help people fleeing from Germans.
The word "finally" makes it seem that Aristides Sousa Mendes work was not recognized by Portugal. Maybe it hadn't been officially recognized until now, but we are very proud of his actions.
It was a poll, made by a public TV channel (RTP) where people phoned in. This skews a lot to the older population (and idiots). While I am not in favour of the dictatorship we had at all, many in the old generation weren't so against it since their lives weren't affected by it so far (except the ones fighting in the colonies, but they blame the 'blacks' more than Salazar on that.
My father (close to 70 now) says he felt safer during Salazar's time than now (which may be true). For that generation, saying 'the only good cop is a dead cop' in a march isn't important at all, it is even insulting and they will say that he deserves a beating, so their values and wants are different than 20-30 years old with our freedom of speech and gay kissing.
Those who are Righteous Among the Nations are a list of people who show how great humans can be, when others are showing how monstrous. I find their stories difficult reading, but intensely rewarding.
16 comments
[ 1.5 ms ] story [ 32.8 ms ] threadSounds exactly like Chiune Sugihara's story:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiune_Sugihara
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/04/chiune-sugihar...
"Sousa Mendes was listed in the Portuguese Consular and Diplomatic Yearbook until 1954.[107][108] After the one year punishment with half-pay, he received a monthly payment of 1,593 Portuguese escudos per month.[109][110][111] According to Rui Afonso, "although it was not a salary of a prince, one should not forget that at that time, in Portugal, the monthly salary of a school teacher was only 500 Escudos".[109] When he died, in 1954 he was receiving a monthly salary of 2,300 escudos."
That doesn't sound coherent at all.
Actually, it's kinda known. The consul was very religious, and he believed he learned God's will during these days - to help people fleeing from Germans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Os_Grandes_Portugueses
It was a poll, made by a public TV channel (RTP) where people phoned in. This skews a lot to the older population (and idiots). While I am not in favour of the dictatorship we had at all, many in the old generation weren't so against it since their lives weren't affected by it so far (except the ones fighting in the colonies, but they blame the 'blacks' more than Salazar on that.
My father (close to 70 now) says he felt safer during Salazar's time than now (which may be true). For that generation, saying 'the only good cop is a dead cop' in a march isn't important at all, it is even insulting and they will say that he deserves a beating, so their values and wants are different than 20-30 years old with our freedom of speech and gay kissing.
https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/mendes.html
His Wikipedia page is fascinating:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes
There is even a small park dedicated to him in my hometown of Montreal (not far from where I used to live):
https://goo.gl/maps/Xa1q7imrjT73Sf5M7
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Righteous_Among_the_Nations
I learned that when a Sephardi Jew I knew vehemently defended Franco’s honor, considering him personally responsible for saving his family’s life.
Historians debate Franco’s responsibility in Spain’s role in saving French Jews, but this guy had no doubts!