Centro Sefarad-Israel launches the initiative 'The Ángel Sanz Briz List'

Spanish diplomat Ángel Sanz Briz saved the lives of more than 5,000 Hungarian Jews in Budapest in 1944 by issuing protection documents. Now, the Centro Sefarad-Israel, with the support of the General Administration Archive, is disseminating the lists of people who received Sanz Briz's protection, with the aim of locating new family histories related to his figure.

Known as the "Angel of Budapest", Ángel Sanz Briz served as head of the Spanish Embassy in Budapest in 1944. During that time, through the establishment of a series of safe houses and the issuing of special documents, he managed to save thousands of lives, most of them of Jews persecuted by the Nazi regime.

On the occasion of the anniversary of the birth of Ángel Sanz Briz (28 September 1910), Centro Sefarad-Israel is launching a campaign that will begin with an online activity in which his daughter Ángela Sanz Briz and various experts will take part.  The aim will be to raise awareness of the historical context in which the people who were saved by the diplomat lived, as well as some of their names, more specifically those found in the General Archive of the Administration. Although these lists do not include all the people whom Sanz Briz allowed to flee Nazi persecution, they are a good reflection of the magnitude of the work that led him to be named Righteous Among the Nations.

The lists will be disseminated on social networks under the hashtag #LaListaSanzBriz

With this initiative, Centro Sefarad-Israel aims to locate people who may have been saved by Sanz Briz, or their descendants. In this way, their family testimonies can serve to highlight the efforts made by the diplomat and his team, thus completing his legacy.

Thus, anyone who recognises their name, surname or that of a relative on these lists can write to the e-mail address that Centro Sefarad-Israel has set up specifically for this initiative: lalistasanzbriz@sefarad-israel.es