His bold actions defied his own government and the Nazi war machine, showing that even the quiet bravery of one individual can change the course of lives—and history.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:37 Life prior to WW2
02:23 Contreras appeals for help from the Salvadoran government
03:20 Forging documents for Mandl
04:01 Forging fake passports and visas
05:03 Pre-signed blank nationality certificates
05:54 Legal validation of forged documents
06:08 Rediscovery of Contreras’ story
07:29 Holocaust denial
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Sources:
-“ADL Honors Salvadoran Diplomat Who Saved European Jews During the Holocaust.” ADL, 14 Feb. 2012.
-Clarfield, Geoffrey. “Righteous Among the Nations: The Rescued Tribe of Colonel Jose Arturo Castellanos Contreras.” Quillette, 11 Oct. 2018.
-Donan, Joe. “The Salvadoran Diplomat Who Saved 40,000 Jews.” Medium, 15 Aug. 2020.
-“José Arturo Castellanos.” Jewish Virtual Library, 2016.
-Miller, Yvette Alt. “El Salvador’s Schindler Who Saved 25,000 Jews.” Aish.com, 18 Jan. 2018.
-“Salvadoran Diplomat: José Arturo Castellanos Contreras.” Accidental Talmudist, 3 Apr. 2024.
-Stand for Israel. “Saving 40,000 ‘Salvadorans’ from the Holocaust.” IFCJ, 31 July 2023.
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Image and footage credits:
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, gift of Claranne Bechtler, and courtesy of Enrico Mandel-Mantello, and Paul & Anna Ornstein
Silueta Production House
Yad Vashem
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Executive Producer:
— Barry Skolnick
Co-Executive Producer:
— Shmuel Katz
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Translation credits:
Portuguese: Saymon Pires, www.livrariasafra.com.br, @safralivraria
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