On April 2, 2025, Ambassador Dr. Ralf Heckner and Dr. Ilaria Macconi Heckner, together with the Lantos Foundation and the Carl Lutz Society, hosted a commemoration ceremony at the Ambassador’s Residence, dedicated to the extraordinary life of Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat who helped to save over 62,000 Hungarian Jews in Budapest during the Holocaust. This year marks the 130th anniversary of Carl Lutz’s birth and the 50th anniversary of his passing.
Lutz, a Swiss-American dual citizen, stands among the great humanitarians of the 20th century. In 1942, he was posted to Budapest as Switzerland’s Vice Consul, where he was shocked by the perilous situation of Jews. Following Germany’s invasion of Hungary, Lutz decided to launch a rescue operation. Lutz negotiated with the Hungarian authorities and Adolf Eichmann himself to issue 8,000 letters of protection (“Schutzbriefe” in German) for Hungarian Jews seeking to emigrate to Palestine, guaranteeing Switzerland’s protection in safe houses while they waited. Lutz ingeniously circumvented this limitation by numbering the documents repeatedly from 1 to 8,000 – ultimately issuing 62,000 protective letters in the hope that nobody would notice it.
The ceremony was honored by the presence of sixteen holocaust survivors, of which three were directly impacted by Carl Lutz’ efforts: Dr. Charles Gati and the brothers George and Robert Lindenblatt. In a discussion moderated by Amy Lutz, Director of Communications at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, the three shared shared their stories with the audience, detailing the inhumane conditions in Budapest during German occupation. They explained how they ultimately survived the Holocaust with thanks in part to the letter of protection they received and refuge they found in safe houses, established by Lutz. Robert Lindenblatt remembered how his grandfather worked closely with Lutz to deliver the forged papers to Jews in Budapest. He also offered a solemn reminder: “People forget fast. But let’s try not to forget. Carl Lutz is a great man and I honor him. He is one out of a billion.”
Their testimonies also shed light on the close cooperation between Lutz and Jewish resistance groups as well as other foreign diplomats, like Raoul Wallenberg (Sweden). Dr. Katrina Swett-Lantos, the President of the Lantos Foundation described the two diplomats as “larger than life figures” and said their actions were “the stuff of legends.” H.E. Dr. Ralf Heckner concluded the event by noting that Lutz’ legacy takes on an even greater significance today as the world witnesses an alarming resurgence of antisemitism. “Commemorating Carl Lutz as a diplomat means asking myself constantly: what would Lutz have done today?” He also informed of Switzerland’s commitment and increasing efforts to combat both antisemitism and racism.
The ceremony served as a reminder that extraordinary deeds are not always acknowledged by the Zeitgeist. It wasn’t until 1995, two decades after his passing, that the Swiss government posthumously honored Carl Lutz. Additionally, as an Alumnus of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. he was posthumously awarded the GWU President’s Medal, and representatives from GWU were in attendance. Carl Lutz did, however, also receive international recognition for his actions during his lifetime. In 1964, he became the first Swiss to be recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem. But, as Katrina Swett-Lantos said, “We have to do the right thing not because it is recognized or honored, but precisely because it is the right thing to do.”
Click here to discover another event honoring Carl Lutz’ legacy, organized by the Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago.
