Carl Lutz: Forgotten Holocaust Rescuer – Amy Lutz

Amy Lutz, Manager of Communications and Social Media for the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, shares the little-known story of Carl Lutz, one of the Righteous Among the Nations. Carl Lutz was a Swiss diplomat who served in the Swiss Legation in Budapest, Hungary between 1942-1945. There, he issued tens of thousands of Swiss protective papers to Hungarian Jews in danger from the Nazis and their collaborators. Because of his efforts, Lutz is recognized as organizing the largest civilian rescue mission of the entire Holocaust. Sadly, his story has mostly been lost to history. Before his heroic rescue efforts began, Lutz lived in the United States. In 1913, at the age of 18, he moved to Granite City, Illinois for five years. He then enrolled at Central Wesleyan College in Warrenton, Missouri for two years before transferring to George Washington University. For several years, he worked in various diplomatic roles throughout the United States. His final diplomatic appointment in America was in St. Louis, in the early 1930s. To view this Zoom recording click here.