JERUSALEM: Portuguese diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who is credited with saving the lives of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust, was honored by the Jerusalem municipality on Tuesday by naming a square in his honor.

Sousa Mendes was honored for her bravery at a ceremony in Jerusalem's Kiryat Hyowel neighborhood, attended by descendants of several survivors and members of their own families.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Sher declared, "This small area of ​​Jerusalem, the Eternal City, now bears the name of a hero. Consider the thousands of people who pass through here every day. Perhaps the vast majority of them were Jews." Those were saved as a result of the bravery of Ambassador Sousa Mendes, he said.

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History did not immediately recognize their courage and sacrifice, but now we need to remember them more than ever. Anti-Semitism lurks all around us and affects every aspect of our lives. We must now take into account the courage of this hero, said the lion.

Estimates suggest that Sousa Mendes saved 30,000 people during World War II, of whom 10,000 were Jewish, although an exact figure has never been established.

Sousa Mendez defied instructions from Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar and his infamous "Circular 14" decree while serving as Portugal's Consul General in Bordeaux, France in 1940. The decree forbade the country's diplomats from, among other things, issuing visas to Jewish refugees. , Mendes issued visas to all who wanted to escape the growing terror of Nazi Germany, despite the risks to themselves and their families.

But few people were aware of his antics.

Dr Olivia Matisse, president of the Sosa Mendes Foundation and a descendant of one of those rescued, told The Times of Israel: "Twelve years ago I and a group of others started this foundation to give credit to this hero. which is not widely known but should be.

Even after Portugal became a democracy in 1974, according to Matisse, "there were forces in the Portuguese government loyal to the old regime that were repressing the story," who claimed that the Susa Mendes story was initially suppressed by the Salazar dictatorship. went. For glorifying its disobedience.

Portugal has begun giving Sousa Mendes the recognition she deserves, after being celebrated by Israeli and American diplomats as well as the Sousa Mendes Foundation, and in 2021 a tomb will be built in her honor at the nation's national pantheon. will build.

According to Matisse, Sousa Mendes broke the law because it violated his conscience, who also noted that he had reportedly told his family that he was "to stand with man against God" despite pressure from the Portuguese government. instead stand with God".

She said, "He lost everything.

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Susa Mendes' family of 15 had been socially isolated and left in utter poverty after she and her family of 15 were recalled and blacklisted in Lisbon. Because of the diplomat's bravery, during the war the Jewish community of Lisbon decided to feed Sousa Mendes and her family to the local soup kitchen.

During the Holocaust, very few people actually saved the Jews. Jerusalem deputy mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum said she was sitting next to Gerald Mendes, Sosa Mendes' grandson, who had come for the event. "This man is under-recognized," she said.

According to Hassan-Nahoum, she hopes to add public art or a sculpture to the recently inaugurated square.

Jorge Cabral, Lisbon's ambassador to Israel, greeted the crowd with a Portuguese accent in Hebrew before praising "a courageous and extraordinary man, a human being, and a diplomat who saved the Jews from a cruel and abhorrent fate."

In his own words, "Today's tribute is an opportunity to see this man within himself in search of the values ​​of peace, love, humanity and compassion for one another.

"Without knowledge of the past, we cannot understand the present or the future. We must keep in mind, Cabral said.

A 50-year-old resident of the building closest to the square told The Times of Israel after the opening ceremony, "It's great... I can watch it and protect it from my window.

A large number of people witnessed the ceremony in a generally quiet neighborhood. Gerald, the grandson of Sosa Mendes, was surrounded by curious children as he stood outside in a blue suit.

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Many of the children were prompted to go and shake the hand of Gerald, the grandson of the man who helped many, when an onlooker told them who Gerald's grandfather was and how many Jewish lives he saved from Nazi atrocities.