Gilberto Bosques was stationed in Marseille during World War II and during that time he granted thousand of visas to people facing Nazi persecution.

The guests had the opportunity to meet Jacqueline and Doris Weitz, Daughters of Herman Wietz who was granted a visa by Bosques, effectively saving his life. They spoke briefly, expressing their gratitude to the man who saved their father, who made new life possible.

The host, Consul General Arturo Sarukhan spoke about the importance and timeliness of the ceremony in an age where issues concerning genocide and asylum are ever-present. He pointed out the responsibility of states to grant asylum to those who seek it, and the fact that sovereignty ends when a state fails to protect its citizens.

The Consul then unveiled a painting donated by Mexican painter Fernando Lucero commemorating the spirit of Gilberto Bosques, and announced that it would hang in the newly renamed ”Gilberto Bosques Auditorium” of the Mexican Consulate of New York.

Following Consul General Sarukhan’s words, Abigail Tenembaum, Vice President of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, spoke about the Foundation seeking to honor saviors like Gilberto Bosques. The Wallenberg Foundation, with branches in New York, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem and Caracas, is a non-profit organization with the aim of rendering homage, promoting the message and remembering the actions of all the heroes of the holocaust, who like Raoul Wallenberg, risked their lives to save persecuted people during World War II.

Ms. Tenembaum shared with the guests some remarks sent by Mr. Baruch Tenembaum, Founder of the Wallenberg Foundation, who could not attend the event since he had to travel to Argentina where he is being awarded as Distinguished Citizen by the Governor of the Province of Santa Fe. Mr. Tenembaum wrote about the importance of recognizing the significance of the work of the Latin American rescuers during World War II, and congratulated the Mexican government for recognizing the importance of rendering Homage to men like Gilberto Bosques. The efforts of many Latin American figures whose actions saved lives during the holocaust are little known, and events such as this help highlight the important work done by Latin Americans.

Another letter was sent by from the grandson of Gilberto Bosques, Gilberto Bosques Tistler, who thanked the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and the Mexican Consulate for their work honoring not only his grandfather, but the many other saviors of the holocaust.

Dear friends:

Today I received by mail an invitation to commemorate Ambassador Gilberto Bosques actions during WWII as Consul General of Mexico in Vichy and Marseille, France.

Regretfully, it is not possible for me to attend this event at this time.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and the Consulate General of Mexico in New York for taking the time to honnor my grandfather.

No doubt, it is of grate necessity today, to spread the word of the actions of all-time courageous people that with integrity and brave hearts confronted the necessary challenges against tyranny. And I am not speaking about my grand father’s actions but about those of so many brave heroes of the past as could be a Raoul Wallenberg, a Carl Lutz, a Winston Churchil, a George S. Patton, a Simon Wiesenthal, just to mention a few.

Thanking you for your kind attention I remain,

Cordially

Gilberto Bosques Tistler

He studied in the Normal School of the State and, while a student, he became a member of the 1910 Revolutionary Movement under the leadership of Aquiles Serdán Alatriste.

Once the armed struggle was finished he took part in the Constituent Congress of Puebla. His legislative work in favor of the workers was decisive to include the social rights which had been just enacted in Querétaro in the Law of Puebla. Between 1922- 1923 and 1934-1937, he represented Puebla as a Federal Deputy.

He founded the left wing of the National Revolutionary Bloc and, in 1938, he edited the newspaper ”The National”. This period was one of the richest moments in the life of the late governmental newspaper.

He abandoned politics because he wanted to devote his time to the Mexican Diplomatic Corps.

The then Mexican President, Lázaro Cárdenas, appointed him Consul General in France during the years of the Nazi occupation.

Between 1939 and 1943 Bosques fulfilled his diplomatic mission before the Collaborative Government of Marshal Petain in the Port of Marsella and, from that position, he encouraged the flee to Mexico of a large number of Jews, leaders of the Austrian and French Resistance, Spanish Republicans and other chased people of different signs.

In 1943 his work as a Consul was interrupted when the Nazi army deprived him of this freedom, banishing him together with his family to the German village of Bad Godsenberg for a year, in a clear violation of the International Conventions for Diplomatic representatives in war times.

An agreement between the Mexican Government and the crumbling Reich Regime took him back to Mexico just before the war confrontation came to an end.

In 1944 Bosques, the author of a large literary work, wrote in one of his innumerable articles: ”I followed the policy of my country, helping, giving material and moral support to the heroic advocates of the Spanish Republic, of the brave paladins of the struggle against Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Petain and Laval.”

Later on, Bosques was the Ambassador of Mexico in Portugal, Finland, Sweden and Cuba, where he lived during the years of fall of the Fulgencio Batista Regime and the rise of Fidel Castro.

As an Ambassador he turned the desire to be free he had learnt from his forefathers into a reality. His strenuous and profitable work to help humanity made him worthy of being one of the Mexicans with more international acknowledgements.

The people of Puebla rendered him a well deserved homage when they engraved his name on the walls of the Congress of the State of Puebla.

In a letter addressed to Bosques on March 23rd, 1941, Dr. Alfred Kantorowicz, a Jewish survivor, full of gratefulness, wrote: ”I have the pleasure to announce that we shall be leaving tomorrow- via Martinica- to Mexico. I cannot leave Marsella without repeating the sincere thanks, both my wife’s and mine, for everything you have done for us. If we can leave, it is thanks to your protection and help”.

Since June 4th, 2003 a street in Vienna has been named after Gilberto Bosques , thanks to the joint initiative of the authorities of the city, the Mexican Embassy in Austria and the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

* Baruj Tenembaum is the Founder of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.
Excerpt from the conference ”The Saviors of Humanity”

Translation: Nora Bellettieri

The street dedicated to Gilberto Bosques is placed on the 22nd district of Vienna, just meters away from the ”Raoul Wallenberg” street. Laura Bosques and María Teresa Mock Bosques, daughters of the diplomat, among other personalities, attended the ceremony of inauguration.

Austria thus recognizes, through an initiative of Dr. Christian Kloyber, investigator of the Austrian exile of the Institute for Adult Education of the Austrian Secretary of Education, the strong opposition of the Mexican government to the invasion and annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938.

On behalf of Mr Baruch Tenembaum, founder of the FIRW, Dr Kloyber presented a Gilberto Bosques’ commemorative medal to each one of the savior diplomat’s daughters.

Sent by the Mexican president Lázaro Cárdenas, Gilberto Bosques Saldívar (1892-1995) arrived to the city of Marseille, France, where he acted as General Consul. As such, Bosques gave specific instructions to the consulate staff to help save any person who wanted to leave to Mexico.

Captured by the Nazis along with dozens of diplomats from other countries, he stayed a year in prison at the German Town of Bad Godesberg, near Bonn. After an agreement between Germany and Mexico, Bosques was released and returned to his native country.

Bosques belongs to the category of diplomats who did their best to rescue the persecuted, such as Raoul Wallenberg, Sempo Sugihara, Aristides de Sousa Mendes or Hiram Bingham IV, among other exemplary officials.

In 1944 Bosques, author of a vast literary work, wrote in one of his numerous articles: ”I made the politics of my country, of help, of material and moral support to the heroic defenders of the Spanish Republic, to the brave paladins of the fight against Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Petain and Laval.”

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation has produced the first web page in Spanish dedicated to the Mexican savior and is planning to organize a tribute ceremony at the Mexican capital during 2003.

Captured by the Nazis, together with tens of diplomats from other countries, he spent one year in captivity in the German town of Bad Godesberg, near Bonn. Following an agreement between Mexico and Germany, Bosques was released and able to return to his native country.

Bosques belongs to the brand of diplomats who had fulfilled their mandate to help the needy, whenever it was required, such as Raoul Wallenberg, Sempo Sugihara, Aristide de Sousa Mendes or Hiram Bingham IV, among many other exemplary officials.

Back in 1944, Bosques, the author of a vast literary production, wrote in one of his many articles: ”I implemented my country’s policy, a policy of help, of material and moral support to the the heroic defenders of the Spanish Republic, to the relentless brave people who fought against Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Petain and Laval”

The historical references, testimonies and fotographs were compilated and submitted to the IRWF, with the aim of divulging them, following the homage to Ambassador Gilberto Bosques, by Dr. Renata von Hanffstengel, co-founder with Mtra. Cecilia Tercero of the Institute of intercultural Research German-Mexican

For more information you can contact Dr. Renata von Hanffstengel, or Mtra. Cecilia Tercero in the Email: renatiii@servidor.unam.mx

Bibliography

México: Exilio y Cultura by Christian Kloyber
Doctor Kloyber is the author of an extence and deep book about the Austrian Exile to México between 1938 & 1947.For more information you can go to: www.doew.at

I was at the end of my rope. I didn’t care any longer what anyone thought or did, but at least I was going to set the record straight. I answered that at no time had I offered money to a consular official (which was true, I had offered money to a Spanish general, not to any Mexican official), that the Consul had been told a lie and that I wanted to see what evidence there was that I had offered such a bribe, for that’s what it clearly was, a bribe which I would never make and whose very existence maligned my reputation. I went on like this at some length when, to my surprise, the Consul finally shook his head and said he would give me the visa after all. With a few swirls of his pen he set down his signature then called on his secretary to place the official stamp on our papers.

I could not believe it myself when I stepped out of the office with the signed documents. I’d done it! I had really, truly, finally done it! We were out of Europe, once and for all!

But nothing is that easy in life. Besides, I still had my brother Moor to worry about.

Somehow or another Moor’s romance with Louise had come to an end and he had been staying with us in Marseilles for a while. The visas the Mexican ambassador had issued covered all of us. so he would have no problem getting into Mexico. My only concern was getting him out of France safely.

France required not only an entry visa but also an exit permit. While in Germany, Moor had been heavily involved with an anti-Nazi youth movement called ”Die Eiserne Front,” which would periodically have run-ins With the black shirts before the National Socialists came to power. We were afraid that the Vichy government had a1ist of all the former members of the Front and that the moment Moor went to ask for his exit permit, the
collaborationist Vichy officials would turn him over to the Nazis. There was no way of smuggling him into the port of Marseilles, as it was well guarded, so we were really at wit’s end on what to do about my brother.

Curiously, getting passage on a ship was not all that difficult, even though it did ultimately cause us some problems.

* Extracted from the book My Story, My Life, By Herman Weitz. Ed.1991

THEODORE SCHWEBEL – FATHER
THERESA SCHWEBEL – MOTHER
HELMUT SCHWEBEL – BROTHER

My father (Theodore Schwebel, born August 3l, 1897) was Jewish, and also a member of the Social-Democratic Party of Austria. A little while after ”Chrystal Night” he fled, taking my brother Helmut (born September 9, l926) with him; they crossed into France illegally at the Franco-German border in Lauterbourg. Meanwhile, my mother Theresa (born 3-3-l902) and I (born 9-l6-28) remained in Purkersdorf (near Vienna) for a few weeks to sell our furniture and domestic items and prepare for the trip. We left Vienna by train on Demember l0, l938, following the same route that my father and brother had used, arriving in Paris on December 22, l938.

My brother and I were installed in a boarding house for Jewish children in Montmorency, near Paris. It was run by the international organization OSE. My mother found work in the same boarding house.

Close to a year later, when war was declared between France and Germany, my father was confined as a ´´citizen of an enemy state´´ in a French concentration camp´. And, in June l940, when German troops had already approached Paris, my mother, brother and I fled to Montauban in the South of France. With the disintegration of the French civil authorities, my father was able to leave the camp and be reunited with us in Montauban. From that moment on, the family goal was to get a visa-any visa from whatever country possible. The only practical possibilities were Mexico and New Zealand, now that ´´quotas´´ for other countries like the United States or England were complete, or that the corresponding bureaucratic paperwork was too slow.

Finally, on November 6, l94l, Mr. Gilberto Bosques, the Mexican Consul in Marseille gave us a visa for Mexico. If it hadn’t been for the anti-fascist position of the Mexican government, as well as the personal initiative of Mr. Bosques to save the largest number of people possible whose lives were threatened by fascism, my family and I probably would not have survived.

Mexican Jewish social-democratic organizations financed our passage in the ”Nyassa” from Lisbon to Veracruz, Mexico, that sailed during the first days of February l942. We had tried to cross from France to Spain various times without success. On one attempt to cross the frontier, we left from
Pau the 3lst of December l94l. The frontier was open and we boarded the train to initiate our journey of two days to Lisbon. After staying one month in the Portuguese capital, and one month on the Nyassa, we arrived in Veracruz where we were taken in as political refugees.

More than 50 years later, in November l993, it was a moving experience for me as well as a great honor to participate in the discovery of the bust of Gilberto Bosques in the ´´Institute of Legal Asylum and Public Liberties´´ in Coyoacan, Mexico City. The ceremony was organized by the ´´Institute for German-Mexican Inter-cultural Research´´, and by the community of German-speaking exiles in Mexico, as recognition of the humanitarian deeds of Mr. Gilberto Bosques.