Last week, a new scenic lookout in Switzerland Forest, Tiberius was inaugurated in memory of Carl Lutz, the first Swiss national to be recognized by Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations” for his extraordinary efforts in saving over 62,000 Jews during the Second World War. The new observation point was established by the Keren Kayemet Le’Israel-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and B’nai B’rith-Switzerland, and the ceremony was held with the participation of the Swiss Embassy in Israel and the Tiberius Municipality.
Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat who served in Budapest, Hungary during WWII, saved the lives of tens of thousands of people with tremendous civil courage by issuing safe-conduct documents and protective letters to Hungarian Jews for emigration to British-mandated Palestine. Lutz also established around 76 “safe houses” around Budapest, declaring them as annexes of the Swiss legation and therefore off-limits to Hungarian forces or Nazi soldiers. Among the safe houses was the now well-known “Glass House”, where about 3,000 Hungarian Jews found refuge. Due to his actions, half of the Jewish population of Budapest survived and was not deported to Nazi extermination camps during the Holocaust.
The donation to establish the scenic lookout, totaling 360,000 NIS, was contributed by friends of KKL Switzerland and B’nei B’rith Switzerland. Also attending the ceremony were step-daughter of Carl Lutz, Mrs. Agnes Hirschi, and other family members; Holocaust survivors that Lutz saved who arrived to pay their respects; KKL Switzerland President, Mr. Arthur Plotke; Swiss Ambassador to Israel, H.E. Jean-Daniel Ruch; and from B’nei B’rith Switzerland, the past President of AKL Zurich, Dr. Arthur Braunschweig.
During the ceremony, KKL-JNF Chairman, Mr. Daniel Atar, said: “We have gathered here today to express our deep gratitude for the actions of one of the world’s Righteous Among the Nations, Carl Lutz. As a people who have overcome more than a few wars throughout history, we deal often with memorializing those dear to us. And yet, when you read of Lutz’s actions and the unimaginable number of 60,000 Jews, you are left speechless. We are left simply to recognize these heroic actions and convey our immense gratitude for all he did.”
Swiss Ambassador to Israel, H.E. Jean-Daniel Ruch reflected on Lutz’s deeds as a diplomat: “We commemorate today someone who chose to follow their consciousness rather than the comfort of mainstream behavior, using all the opportunities and capabilities they had to save lives. As a diplomat, as any civil servant, the action of Lutz makes me question myself, and should make us all question ourselves very deeply… What would we have done in such circumstances? I think this should be an inspiration for all of us to guide us in our lives.”
Step-daughter of Carl Lutz, Mrs. Agnes Hirschi, mentioned that it was very suitable to have the viewpoint named after her stepfather, given how much he loved traveling the land of Israel when he served as a diplomat in Jaffa before WWII. She said, “He was not born a hero. His mother, the most important person in his life, was a very strong personality and deeply religious woman. My father adopted her ethics. When he saw the misery of the Jews he felt that he had to act.”
KKL Switzerland President, Mr. Arthur Plotke spoke of the importance of remembering the extraordinary actions of Carl Lutz: “I hope that this Carl Lutz memorial at this beautiful lookout point will be visited by many citizens of the regions, and tourists from Israel and abroad, young and old and from all walks of life. Carl Lutz has become a symbolic example of how a single person can change history and accomplish great deeds when lives are at stake. He is a person who kept his humanity when others succumbed to pressure.”
B’nai B’rith Switzerland, Dr. Arthur Braunschweig (past president of Zürich’s AKL lodge), said: “We are grateful and happy for this valuable memorial with information in five languages. Next, we will develop educational material on ‘civil courage’, to foster the importance of each one’s behavior for human rights. I look forward to e.g. our youth movements visits during their summer trips to Israel.”
For further information, please contact:
Gal Eliezer, +972 (0) 532778361, gal@k-b.co.il
Liel Edry, +972 (0) 508655305, liel@k-b.co.il