Aristides de Sousa Mendes do Amaral e Abranches (1885-1954) was the Portuguese consul stationed in Bordeaux, France who in May and June 1940 issued visas to thousands of desperate Jews seeking to escape to safety. Historian Yehuda Bauer said that Sousa Mendes’ actions were “perhaps the largest rescue action by a single individual during the Holocaust.”
Sousa Mendes acted in defiance of his government’s direct orders, as an act of conscience in accordance with his Catholic faith. For this he was severely punished, stripped of his diplomatic position and forbidden from earning a living. His 12 children were blacklisted, prevented from going to university or finding meaningful work. What was once a prominent Portuguese family was destroyed.
Before his death, Sousa Mendes asked his children to clear his name and restore the family’s honour. These efforts resulted in him being named a “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem, being honoured by the United States Congress and ultimately receiving an apology from the Portuguese government and a posthumous promotion to the rank of ambassador.
In Canada, the playground at the Arlington Parkette across from the Leo Baeck Day School in Toronto was dedicated to the memory of Sousa Mendes in 2013.
This card is from the Heroes of the Holocaust Rescuer Playing Cards which are being sold by the Sousa Mendes Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to honouring the memory of Sousa Mendes and to educating the public about his actions. Its president is Dr. Olivia Mattis, twelve of her family members were saved by Sousa Mendes.
Thanks to the efforts of the foundation and many others worldwide, a museum which showcases Sousa Mendes’ bravery was opened on July 19, 2024, in his restored family home in the province of Beira Alta, Portugal. The house that had been forfeited to creditors in the 1950s following the punishment and death of Sousa Mendes has now arisen as a phoenix from the ashes.
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