The Mid-Atlantic - Eurasia Business Council is delighted to invite you to a few events to recognize and celebrate the life and accomplishments of an often forgotten hero - Carl Lutz. His humanitarian action is considered the greatest civil rescue operation of Jews during the Holocaust. This year will mark the 80th anniversary of Carl Lutz’s great feat to save over 60,000 lives from the Holocaust during his tenure as Vice-Consul at the Swiss Embassy in Budapest.
This event series, which we initially introduced at the Summer 2019 International Business Networking Reception at the National Museum of Jewish History in Philadelphia, serves to honor Carl Lutz and numerous other diplomats from many nations who acted with bravery and courage in the Holocaust. Carl Lutz’s events are taking place in Philadelphia - the city where Carl Lutz served as Chancellor at the Swiss Consulate from 1926 to 1934. On March 30 & June 30, 2020,March 30, 2021, and October 23, 2022 we hosted public virtual & hybrid events showcasing the life and legacy of Carl Lutz and Diplomatic Rescue in the Holocaust. We hosted several excellent speakers, including City of Philadelphia, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania officials, U.S. Congresswoman from Pennsylvania & several international consuls and showed a recorded interview with Carl Lutz's stepdaughter, Agnes Hirschi. On October 23, 2022, the Mid-Atlantic - Eurasia Business Council and Jewish Genealogical and Archival Society of Greater Philadelphia co-hosted a hybrid event at Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia showcasing the life and legacy of Carl Lutz and Diplomatic Rescue in the Holocaust, presented film "Dangerous Diplomacy", and held a discussion with the Co-Producers and Co-Directors of this documentary. Please find the links below to the "Dangerous Diplomacy" Film Sneak Peak presented during our program on Carl Lutz’ 125th Birthday.
From August 2024 – Summer 2026, we will continue to showcase the life and legacy of Carl Lutz and Diplomatic Rescue in the Holocaust through a variety of presentations. These events will take place both virtually and in-person at indoor and outdoor locations in Philadelphia, including the Mayor’s Reception Room in Philadelphia City Hall, Philadelphia Holocaust Memorial Plaza, and various universities and colleges in the Greater Philadelphia Area. We are planning to host international experts and guests including Agnes Hirschi, Carl Lutz’ stepdaughter and President of the Carl Lutz Society, have several hybrid events, and present and exhibit at the 44th IAJGS International Conference in Philadelphia on August 18 - 22, 2024.
For more information regarding the IAJGS conference, please click here.
We are delighted to invite you to help make this events a success. Please feel free to reach out and share your ideas and recommendations with me at (484) 467-7444 or email at val@ma-rbc.org.
Stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you at Carl Lutz’ events!
Best Regards,
Val Kogan
President
Mid-Atlantic - Eurasia Business Council
The Introduction of Legislation to Honor American Rescuers of the Holocaust with a Congressional Gold Medal
Mid-Atlantic - Eurasia Business Council is happy to announce that the bill to honor American rescuers of the Holocaust was introduced into Congress on Tuesday, April 18, by Congresswoman Judy Chu of Pasadena, California. The bill, H.R.2668 - US Rescue and Aid Individuals of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023, is posted here. The introduction of the bill was announced at a special ceremony and press conference on April 18, 2023 in front of the United States Capitol. Here is the CSPAN link to a recording of the ceremony.
In attendance were the families of a number prominent American rescuers. Among them were Anna Eleanor Seagraves-Fierst (great granddaughter of Eleanor Roosevelt), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (daughter of Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr.), Harold Ickes, Jr. (son of Harold Ickes), Ambassador Peter Rosenblatt and Laurene Sherlock (nephew and granddaughter of Ambassador Laurence Steinhardt), Mary Mochary (daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth Kasser), Artemis Joukowsky (grandson of Martha and Waitstill Sharp), Abigail Bingham Endicott and Chester Hanson (daughter and grandson of Hiram "Harry" Bingham, IV), Dan Smith RuBoss (nephew of Vratislav Stula). Other guests included Gary Krupp and Tom Avitabile, of the Pave the Way Foundation, Eric Rubin and Thomas Yazdgerdi, of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), Eric Angra, filmmaker, Bryan Boorugy, filmmaker, Christy Marella, teacher and filmmaker, Val Kogan, representing the Carl Lutz family, Valentin Hasler and Ben Schidla, de Sousa Mendes Foundation, Gerald Yamada and Howard High, Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA), David Inoue, Japanese American Citizen's League (JACL), Zoe Grossman, and organizers of this program, Carolyn Bryant and Eric Saul, Institute for the Study of Rescue and Altruism in the Holocaust.
Mid-Atlantic - Eurasia Business Council is pleased to invite you to attend the ceremony of the Introduction of Legislation to Honor American Rescuers of the Holocaust with a Congressional Gold Medal. The bill is being sponsored by Congresswoman Judy Chu, of Pasadena, California, while other Congressional sponsors and co-leads of the bill will participate. This ceremony will take place on Tuesday, April 18, from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. at the Triangle on the East front of the Capitol, on the House side. A speaker’s following program in the Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor’s Center will take place from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Moreover, some additional activities will take place on April 19-20, 2023. For more information, see this flyer.
