Giorgio Perlasca (1910 – 1992)
The Italian businessman who pretended to be the Spanish Ambassador
GIORGIO PERLASCA came up with one of the most unusual ideas to save the life of approximately 5200 Hungarian Jews during WWII in Budapest. Having fought in the Spanish Civil War, he was able to get Spanish citizenship, and with the help of this, when Angel Sanz Briz, the Spanish Ambassador left Hungary, he took his post to go on saving lives of Jews. His story was not revealed until the 80s, when a group of Hungarian Jews started to look for him to thank him. He received decorations from the Italian, Hungarian and Spanish governments, and in 1989 he was proclaimed ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ by the Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. There is an Italian movie about him: Perlasca, un eroe italiano (Perlasca, an Italian Hero).
Giorgio Perlasca was born in Como, Italy on the 31st of January, 1910. In the 20s he sympathised with fascism, the national ideology, and he went to fight in Africa and later in the Spanish Civil War on the side of Franco. After returning to Italy he was not a supporter any more to fascism, one reason for this were the anti-Semitic laws that came into force in 1938.
When the WWII broke out he became a diplomat, an official delegate, responsible for supplies to the Italian army from the Balkan. When Mussolini fell in July 1943, all the Italians staying in Hungary were requested to return to Italy immediately. Perlasca refused to return to a German-ruled Italian puppet state.
In 1944 - after Hungary was occupied by Germany - he found refugee at the Spanish Embassy in Budapest, and immediately received Spanish citizenship under the name Jorge Perlasca, thanks to a letter by Franco where it is stated: “Wherever you are in the world, you can always rely on the help of the Spanish.” There he started helping Angel Sanz Briz, the Spanish Ambassador, who – together with other diplomats of neutral countries – was already helping Hungarian Jews to escape, issuing safe conduct passes and creating ‘protected houses’.
The safe conduct passes were based on a Spanish law issued in 1924, that recognised Spanish citizenship to all Jews with sefardic ancestors.
In November 1944 Sanz Briz left the country (he was removed to Switzerland), but Perlasca is unable to leave. He had to take action to keep the embassy safe from the ‘cleaning-out’ ordered by the Hungarian government. He made up a story which was risky, but at the same time a brilliant idea: he said that he had been appointed by Sanz Briz a substitute until the Ambassador returns – and shortly after he even presented a headed paper with authentic stamps to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to confirm his nomination. Of course the paper was written by him, but was accepted without doubt.
In the next 45 days he was working round the clock to organise the protection and feeding of thousands of Hungarian Jews in the protected houses.
He saved approximately 5200 Hungarian Jews.
After the war he returned to Italy, not telling his story to anyone, and leading a normal, every-day life of a merchant until a day when some Hungarian Jews started looking for ‘Jorge Perlasca’ in a Jewish community paper in order to thank him.
His story was revealed and he has become a national hero, receiving numerous decorations from Spain, Italy, Hungary and Israel (the list of decorations see below). In 1988 in the synagogue of Padova he received the honours by the State of Israel, and he was invited to the Yad Vashem to plant a tree in the garden of the ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ bearing his name. In September 1989 he was awarded The Israeli honorary citizenship. There is a movie about his glorious story: Perlasca, un eroe italiano (Perlasca, an Italian hero).
He died on the 15th August, 1992. He is buried in Maserà, Italy, and accordingly to his last will on his tomb it is only written his name, dates of his birth and death, and in Hebrew following: ‘Righteous Among the Nations’.
His decorations are:
- Medal of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) – Jerusalem, 1989
- Star of Merit – Hungary, 1989
- Town Seal of Padova – Padova, 1989
- Medal of the Holocaust Museum – United States, 1990
- Grande Ufficiale della Repubblica – Italy, 1990
- Medal Raoul Wallenberg – United States, 1990
- Ordine di Isabelle La Cattolica – Spain, 1991
- Gold Medal for Civil Bravery – Italy, 1992
Places in Budapest with the memory of Giorgio Perlasca:
- Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Garden (Dohàny utca 2)
- Giorgio Perlasca Highschool
The Italian businessman who pretended to be the Spanish Ambassador
The Italian businessman who pretended to be the Spanish Ambassador
GIORGIO PERLASCA came up with one of the most unusual ideas to save the life of approximately 5200 Hungarian Jews during WWII in Budapest. Having fought in the Spanish Civil War, he was able to get Spanish citizenship, and with the help of this, when Angel Sanz Briz, the Spanish Ambassador left Hungary, he took his post to go on saving lives of Jews. His story was not revealed until the 80s, when a group of Hungarian Jews started to look for him to thank him. He received decorations from the Italian, Hungarian and Spanish governments, and in 1989 he was proclaimed ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ by the Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. There is an Italian movie about him: Perlasca, un eroe italiano (Perlasca, an Italian Hero).
Giorgio Perlasca was born in Como, Italy on the 31st of January, 1910. In the 20s he sympathised with fascism, the national ideology, and he went to fight in Africa and later in the Spanish Civil War on the side of Franco. After returning to Italy he was not a supporter any more to fascism, one reason for this were the anti-Semitic laws that came into force in 1938.
When the WWII broke out he became a diplomat, an official delegate, responsible for supplies to the Italian army from the Balkan. When Mussolini fell in July 1943, all the Italians staying in Hungary were requested to return to Italy immediately. Perlasca refused to return to a German-ruled Italian puppet state.
In 1944 - after Hungary was occupied by Germany - he found refugee at the Spanish Embassy in Budapest, and immediately received Spanish citizenship under the name Jorge Perlasca, thanks to a letter by Franco where it is stated: “Wherever you are in the world, you can always rely on the help of the Spanish.” There he started helping Angel Sanz Briz, the Spanish Ambassador, who – together with other diplomats of neutral countries – was already helping Hungarian Jews to escape, issuing safe conduct passes and creating ‘protected houses’.
The safe conduct passes were based on a Spanish law issued in 1924, that recognised Spanish citizenship to all Jews with sefardic ancestors.
In November 1944 Sanz Briz left the country (he was removed to Switzerland), but Perlasca is unable to leave. He had to take action to keep the embassy safe from the ‘cleaning-out’ ordered by the Hungarian government. He made up a story which was risky, but at the same time a brilliant idea: he said that he had been appointed by Sanz Briz a substitute until the Ambassador returns – and shortly after he even presented a headed paper with authentic stamps to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to confirm his nomination. Of course the paper was written by him, but was accepted without doubt.
In the next 45 days he was working round the clock to organise the protection and feeding of thousands of Hungarian Jews in the protected houses.
He saved approximately 5200 Hungarian Jews.
After the war he returned to Italy, not telling his story to anyone, and leading a normal, every-day life of a merchant until a day when some Hungarian Jews started looking for ‘Jorge Perlasca’ in a Jewish community paper in order to thank him.
His story was revealed and he has become a national hero, receiving numerous decorations from Spain, Italy, Hungary and Israel (the list of decorations see below). In 1988 in the synagogue of Padova he received the honours by the State of Israel, and he was invited to the Yad Vashem to plant a tree in the garden of the ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ bearing his name. In September 1989 he was awarded The Israeli honorary citizenship. There is a movie about his glorious story: Perlasca, un eroe italiano (Perlasca, an Italian hero).
He died on the 15th August, 1992. He is buried in Maserà, Italy, and accordingly to his last will on his tomb it is only written his name, dates of his birth and death, and in Hebrew following: ‘Righteous Among the Nations’.
His decorations are:
- Medal of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) – Jerusalem, 1989
- Star of Merit – Hungary, 1989
- Town Seal of Padova – Padova, 1989
- Medal of the Holocaust Museum – United States, 1990
- Grande Ufficiale della Repubblica – Italy, 1990
- Medal Raoul Wallenberg – United States, 1990
- Ordine di Isabelle La Cattolica – Spain, 1991
- Gold Medal for Civil Bravery – Italy, 1992
Places in Budapest with the memory of Giorgio Perlasca:
- Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Garden (Dohàny utca 2)
- Giorgio Perlasca Highschool