"Schutzbrief" ("Protective Letter") issued by the Swiss Embassy in Budapest, Hungary, on behalf of a Jewish woman by the name of János Jaffe, and dated October 23, 1944. German and Hungarian.
This letter was printed in German and Hungarian on the official stationery of the "Schweizerische Gesandtschaft, Abteilung für fremde Interessen" (Swiss Legation, Department of Foreign Interests) managed by the diplomat Carl Lutz. It certifies that the bearer is included in a collective Swiss passport.
Carl Lutz (1895-1975), Swiss diplomat. Appointed in 1942 to serve as vice consul in charge of the "Department of Foreign Interests" in the Swiss Embassy in Hungary. Worked to expedite the emigration of Jews from Hungary, whose borders were still open at the time. Just before the occupation of Hungary by the Germans, Lutz began exercising his authority to issue "Schutzbriefe" ("Protective Letters"), thus resorting to an idea originally conceived by Moshe (Miklos) Krausz, director of the Palestine Office in Budapest. The letters granted diplomatic protection to Jews with emigration permits. Eventually, this idea of "protective letters" was adopted by other ambassadors, and enabled the rescue of large numbers of Jews. Lutz displayed extraordinary dedication in his efforts to save Jews, and refused to leave Budapest even after the siege encircling the city was tightened. He remained there, steadfast in his mission, until the conquest of Budapest by the Soviet Red Army in 1945; only then did he return to Switzerland. For all his noble efforts and achievements in rescuing Jews during the Holocaust, Israel's Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center bestowed upon him the title of "Righteous Among the Nations" in 1965.
1 f., 22.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and fold lines. Minor tears to edges. Small hole at intersection of fold lines. Punch holes, mended with adhesive tape on verso.