The National Day of Remembrance of Poles Rescuing Jews under German Occupation
24.03.2021
As part of the celebration of the National Day of Remembrance of Poles Rescuing Jews under German Occupation, we present you the story of Ładoś Group from the Polish diplomatic mission in Bern. This is an inspiring story of Polish diplomats who saved thousands of lives. We also encourage you to watch the film produced by the Institute of National Remembrance about the Ładoś Group, entitled "Passports to Paraguay".
During the Second World War, a group of Polish diplomats from the Legation of the Republic of Poland in Switzerland led by Ambassador Aleksander Ładoś, cooperated with activists of Jewish organizations in order to rescue Europe’s Jews from the Holocaust. They forged Latin American passports (Paraguay, Honduras, Haiti and Peru) and citizenship certificates that helped Jews to avoid deportation to death camps. The entire operation received the support of the Polish government, which pressured representatives of Latin American states to recognize the documents for humanitarian reasons. Until recently, the history of the Ładoś Group was known to a narrow circle of historians. In 2019, the Yad Vashem Institute in Israel awarded the title of “Righteous Among the Nations” to Consul Konstanty Rokicki, a member of the Ładoś Group.
Please find the documentary film "Passports to Paragauay" below.