Stepdaughter of hero who saved 62,000 Jews answers call of Scots refugee worker
THE stepdaughter of a Swiss diplomat who heroically saved the lives of 62,000 Hungarian Jews will this week address an audience in Edinburgh about his war-time exploits.
The invit ation to Agnes Hirschi came about after Agnes Isaacs, of Glasgow, watched a documentary about the life of Carl Lutz.
The film described how he negotiated with Nazi mass murderer Adolf Eichmann in a bid to prevent the Jews of Budapest being sent to the gas chambers.
Eichmann eventually allowed Mr Lutz to hand out a letter of safe conduct, known as Schutzbrief, to Jews in the city.
Possession of this document allowed the owner to move in to a Swiss safe house. During the film, Mrs Isaacs realized her own mother, Eva Szirmai, had such a document at home in Glasgow. It turned out that Eva’s late mother, Iren Friedmann, had been granted a Schutzbrief by Mr Lutz’s office. However, she was unable to use it immediately and was taken by the Gestapo to a brick factory near the edge of the city in preparation for deportation to the death camps.
Luckily for I r en, Hungary was liberated by the Russians soon after. Her life was saved and she was reunited with her daughter Eva.
The family eventually emigrated from Hungary in the 1960s and settled in Glasgow.
Eva’s daughter, Agnes Isaacs, is a regional co-ordinator for the Association of Jewish Refugees. Every year she helps arrange a national get-together in Edinburgh. After seeing the film and finding the document again she thought it would be a great idea to invite Mr Lutz’s step daughter to address the delegates.
She also invited the Swiss Ambassador Dominic Furgler, who, while unable to attend, sent the f ol low i ng me ss a ge : “Consul Carl Lutz worked with unwavering perseverance as he undertook enormous risks to himself and his family.
“When he encountered obstacles during t his mission ... he remained unfettered, displaying his immense initiative and determination.”