As
a part of a series of events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the
Holocaust in Hungary, the Embassy hosted the first public screening of a
new, award-winning documentary by Director/Producer Ágnes M. Vértes,
entitled "Passport to Life" today. Ambassador András Simonyi
emphasized in his introduction that a democratic
Hungary is ready to face the darkest period of Hungarian history, when
Hungarians - with German assistance - deported Hungarians to death camps.
He also pointed out that Hungary is not an
anti-Semitic country, though anti-Semitism can be found in Hungary, as
everywhere else.
Connecticut
Congressman Christopher H. Shays, Chairman of the
Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International
Relations has accepted to be part of the event, as Ms. Vértes, who resides
in Bridgeport, CT, is one of his constituents. The presentation of the
film was followed by a panel discussion with the participation of four
outstanding experts on the Holocaust: Dr. Peter Black,
a Senior Historian and Director of the Division of History of the Center
for Advanced Holocaust Studies of the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum, Dr. Radu Ioanid, Director of the International Archival Programs
Division of the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, as well as authors
Dr. Daniel A. Lowy and Dr. George S. Pick.
"Passport
to Life" honors the memory of numerous courageous diplomats of neutral
countries who put themselves at risk in order to save the lives of tens of
thousands of
Jews in Budapest.
It is based
on the recollections of surviving diplomats and archival footage, focusing
on the heroic rescue efforts of Raoul Wallenberg and
Per Anger of Sweden, Carl Lutz of Switzerland, Monsignor Angelo Rotta, the
Papal Nuncio, Monsignor Gennaro Verolino, Angel Sanz Briz of Spain and
Giorgio Perlasca, an Italian working for the Spanish legation. The
documentary describes
the events following the German occupation of Hungary in 1944 when the
Nazi terror reigned while the city was under siege by the Red Army.
The
documentary was completed in 2003, and has won first place in its category
at two prestigious competitions, the Telly and Aurora Awards, and is a
finalist at the New York Festivals. Ms. Vértes is herself a survivor of
the Budapest ghetto.
Ambassador Simonyi with Ms. Vértes and
Congressman Shays
