Samuel del Campo ( Spanish: Samuel del Campo ;? - 1960s , Paris ) - Chilean diplomat , Righteous among the nations of the world [1] [2] [3] .
Biography
The Charge d'Affaires of the Chilean Embassy in Bucharest represented the interests of Polish citizens in Romania , since there was no official representation of Poland in this country during World War II .
Using his official position, he helped Polish Jews, who were in Chernivtsi at the time of the occupation of the city by German-Romanian troops , obtain Chilean passports . This was especially true in October 1941 with the creation of the ghetto in Chernivtsi and the beginning of the deportation of Jews to the death camps in Transnistria . When deportations resumed in June 1942, the charge d'affaires again stood up for Jews under Chile's protection. In addition to issuing passports, he defended Jewish property by sealing their homes on behalf of the Chilean government. Based on the recorded minutes of the discussions at the Romanian Council of Ministers , Yad Vashem estimated that some 1,200 Jews received Chilean passports to protect them from deportation and imminent death.
In the spring of 1943, diplomatic relations between Chile and Romania were severed, and Switzerland began to represent Chile's interests in the country. The documents issued by Samuel del Campo were clearly not in line with the policies of the Government of Chile; when Swiss diplomats asked the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify the ministry’s policy regarding the provision of Chilean passports, they were told that "they would prefer not to provide new passports without the approval of the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
Samuel del Campo was appointed to Zurich , where he was to take the place of consul general , but this decision never entered into force. After the war, he was fired from the Foreign Ministry and never returned to his homeland, having died in the 1960s in Paris .
October 22, 2017 Yad Vashem in Jerusalem held a ceremony to posthumously recognize Samuel del Campo's merit in saving lives. [4] The ceremony was attended by a relative of Samuel del Campo and Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Milenko Skoknik ( Spanish: Milenko Skoknik ).
See also
- Maria edwards
Notes
- ↑ The second Chilean in history is recognized as the Righteous of the peoples of the world
- ↑ Chilean diplomat awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations
- ↑ Chilean diplomat recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” for saving 1200 Jews (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Yad Vashem honró a Samuel del Campo con el título de Justo de las Naciones
Links
- Chilean diplomat rescues more than 1200 Jews
- Chilean diplomat rescuing Chernivtsi Jews recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations
- El chileno Samuel del Campo obtiene el mayor honor del Museo del Holocausto
- Samuel del Campo, ex cónsul de Chile en Rumania, fue reconocido por Yad Vashem como "Justo de las Naciones"
- Chilean diplomat honored as Righteous Gentile for saving over 1,200 Jews
- Ceremonia de reconocimiento de Samuel del Campo como Justo de las Naciones