Honoring Aristides de Sousa Mendes: The Courage of a Righteous*
The Fondation Les Justes de Belgique and the Aristides de Sousa Mendes Foundation – US, in partnership with the Jewish Museum of Belgium and the Central Jewish Consistory of Belgium, are honored to pay tribute to Aristides de Sousa Mendes, Righteous Among the Nations, on Sunday, November 17, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. This event is held under the high patronage of the Royal House of His Majesty King Albert II.
Aristides de Sousa Mendes, Consul of Portugal in Bordeaux from 1938 to 1940, is an iconic figure of moral courage and resistance against injustice. In 1940, during a time of heightened persecution of Jews and stateless people in Europe, Sousa Mendes made the brave decision to disobey his government’s orders. Inspired by his Catholic faith and his conversations with Rabbi Chaim Kruger, he followed his conscience and issued tens of thousands of visas to refugees, including many Jews, allowing them to escape Nazi tyranny.
These heroic actions saved people from 49 different nationalities, of various faiths and social backgrounds, including Austrians, French, Dutch, Luxembourgers, and Belgians.
As we commemorate the 70th anniversary of his death, this tribute serves as an opportunity to remember his extraordinary commitment to humanity and to reaffirm the importance of his memory in the fight against injustice and intolerance.
Please register by November 13 via info@justesdebelgique.org
*The Hebrew expression, translated as “ Righteous among the Nations”, designates, in rabbinic tradition, God-fearing non-Jews and, in medieval and modern times, those among them who maintained a correct attitude towards Jews unanimously hated and persecuted throughout Europe.
