Community Corner
Fearless to Free: Aristides de Sousa Mendes
Temple Tikvah gathered to learn and recognize the honorable man who is known to have saved 30,000 lives.
More than 50 congregants attended on Saturday to honor Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat who helped refugees flee France during World War II.
Although Sousa Mendes is not as well-known as Oskar Schindler, whose story of saving 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust was retold through Schindler’s List and later adapted into a film, the story of Mendes’ life should not go untold.
“It is an unfortunate reality that many people haven't heard of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and that is why I am determined to tell the story that cries out to be told,” said Dr. Olivia Mattis, co-founder of the Sousa Mendes Foundation. “I hope to raise awareness and undo the punishment that he [Sousa Mendes] received by Portugal.”
Find out what's happening in New Hyde Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Mattis said seven members from her family were rescued by Sousa Mendes and she was not alone. John Prince was an infant at the time when Sousa Mendes rescued he and his family.
“My grandmother, both of my parents, my mother’s brother, his wife, my brother and myself were all saved because of Sousa Mendes,” Prince said.
Find out what's happening in New Hyde Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
It is believed that Sousa Medes refused to let people die. He disregarded Circular 14, an internal document that said that Portuguese consuls are forbidden to give visas to displaced persons, Russians or Jews.
Hans and Margret Rey who are known today for writing the first Curious George book in 1941 were among the thousands of lives that Sousa Mendes saved. Artist Salvador Dali, well-known for his painting Persistence of Memory was also saved by Sousa Mendes.
Mattis says she recognizes her ambitious goals but one day hopes to honor the past and those who suffered in World War II and the Holocaust by repairing the Sousa Mendes property that was forfeited to the bank in the 1950s after Sousa Mendes was caught and his life was dismantled.
“Now is the time to do something and continue these heartfelt stories and create ways to honor heroism and valor,” she said. “We have to inspire our children and generations to come so they can recognize that one individual can make such a difference.”
The home was reacquired in 2001 and it would be a “dream” to transform it into a memorial museum to keep Aristides de Sousa Mendes’ spirit alive.
