WTF: Work Towards Fairness is a built environment that unites us in learning the story of the Sousa Mendes family and the plight of the Sousa Mendes home, known as the Casa do Passal. WTF seeks to inspire us to rectify the injustices against Aristides de Sousa Mendes, and others, throughout the world.

Eric Moed recently graduated from the Pratt Institute School of Architecture in New York. That same year he learned that his family was saved during WWII by a righteous diplomat. Aristides de Sousa Mendes saved thousands by disobeying his government’s orders and granting visas to desperate refugees to escape into Portugal. Shortly thereafter Aristides was punished severely for his altruistic actions – his job and his family home, the Casa do Passal, were taken away from him, and the house descended into a state of ruin. Inspired by the story, Eric devoted his architectural thesis project to restoring that very home in Portugal with the intention of turning it into a Museum of Tolerance.

Shortly after presenting his thesis, Eric entered the “Unemployee of the Year” competition, sponsored by the UNHATE Foundation. He received a grant from the UNHATE Foundation to turn the proposal into a reality, which he calls “WTF: Work Towards Fairness.”

Work Towards Fairness is a semi-permanent installation in the form of a series of three pavilions at the entrance to the Casa do Passal. The construct seeks to share the Sousa Mendes story with the world; acting as a bridge between past and present, utilizing Aristides' heroic actions as an inspiration for future generations to get involved in humanitarian efforts.

A detailed exhibition will fill all three pavilions with materials focused on Holocaust education, the life and actions of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and the teaching of tolerance. The content of the exhibit was crafted closely with the Sousa Mendes Foundation, which includes direct descendants of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and the individuals whom he rescued.

WTF goes well beyond the scope of a simple architectural construct. It must result in a place that imbues dignity, fosters education and ultimately echoes the deeds of Aristides de Sousa Mendes in perpetuity.

Work Towards Fairness
Casa do Passal

Official Opening: June 20th, 2013

WTF will be open from June 20th – August 1st 2013
Location: Cabanas de Viriato, Carregal do Sal, Portugal

For more information contact Eric Moed
ericmoed@ericmoed.com
http://casadopassal.com/

The Sousa Mendes Foundation presents the feature film Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story in Arizona, Southern California and Montreal. Directed by Joël Santoni and starring Bernard Le Coq, this powerful film tells the true story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes — the Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux — who in 1940 defied the direct orders of his government and granted visas out of Occupied France to thousands of refugees. His courageous actions have been described as “the largest rescue action by a single individual during the Holocaust.” The screening schedule is below.

May 17-23 – One Week Limited Engagement Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story Harkins Shea Cinema 14 7354 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ Sunday May 19, 2:00PM: Q&A with Dr. Steven Carol, author, radio personality, historian and son of Sousa Mendes visa recipients Matinee Admission $7.00 (11:25am, 2:00pm, 4:35pm) Evening Admission $9.50 (7:10pm, 9:50pm)	Dr. Steven Carol
Sunday, June 2, 11:00 AM Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival Laemmle’s Playhouse 673 East Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA Q&A with Lee Sterling, Sousa Mendes visa recipient Admission $9.00	Lee Sterling
Monday, June 3, 7:00 PM Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival Temple Menorah 1101 Camino Real, Redondo Beach, CA Q&A with Kathleen Rand, daughter of Sousa Mendes visa recipient Admission $12.00	Kathleen Rand
Monday, June 10, 7:00 PM Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story Montreal Jewish Public Library 5151, Côte Ste-Catherine, Montreal Q&A with Dr. Andrée Lotey, daughter of Sousa Mendes visa recipient and Louis-Philippe Mendes, grandson of the diplomat Admission $15.00	Louis-Philippe Mendes & Dr. Andreé Lotey

For information on hosting a film screening, please contact us via email.

Founded in 2010, the Sousa Mendes Foundation is dedicated to honoring the memory of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and to educating the public about refugees and rescue during the Holocaust.  Named “Organization of the Year” in 2012 by The Portuguese Tribune, the Sousa Mendes Foundation is engaged in a worldwide search for families who escaped the Holocaust through Portugal.  The Foundation has a twofold mission:  raising funds for the creation of a Sousa Mendes Museum and Human Rights Center and sponsoring projects that teach the importance of moral courage in a civilized world.

Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese Consul-General in Bordeaux during WWII — along with other rescuers — helped not just individuals and families, but humanity in general. Although many hundreds of thousands of people were spared thanks to acts of rescue, we will never know what could have been… what the millions of unique individuals who perished in the Holocaust and their eventual descendants might have contributed to the world, now and forever.

And so these heroes must be remembered and emulated. When we are confronted with hatred, bigotry, violence against people for no reason other than their ethnicity, sexual orientation, or their beliefs, we must remember that it is our responsibility to stand up, to speak up, to act against evil, and to protect the innocent.

Upcoming Events:

Founded in 2010, the Sousa Mendes Foundation is dedicated to honoring the memory of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and to educating the public about refugees and rescue during the Holocaust.  Named “Organization of the Year” in 2012 by The Portuguese Tribune, the Sousa Mendes Foundation is engaged in a worldwide search for families who escaped the Holocaust through Portugal.  The Foundation has a twofold mission:  raising funds for the creation of a Sousa Mendes Museum and Human Rights Center and sponsoring projects that teach the importance of moral courage in a civilized world.

The Sousa Mendes Foundation presents the feature film Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story at three prestigious Jewish Film Festivals this spring in Texas, California and New Hampshire. Directed by Joël Santoni and starring Bernard Le Coq, this powerful film tells the true story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes — the Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux — who in 1940 defied the direct orders of his government and granted visas out of Occupied France to thousands of refugees. His courageous actions have been described as “the largest rescue action by a single individual during the Holocaust.” The screening schedule is below.

Houston Jewish Film Festival
http://www.erjcchouston.org/arts/jewish-film-festival/
Admission $10.00

• Friday, March 8, 1:00 PM
  Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, Houston, TX
• Wednesday, March 13, 7:30 PM
  Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, Houston, TX
  Post-film discussion with Harry Oesterreicher, son & grandson of Sousa Mendes visa recipients

East Bay International Jewish Film Festival
http://www.eastbayjewishfilm.org
$7.00 advance tickets, $8.00 at the door

• Wednesday, March 13, 10:30 AM
  CineArts, Pleasant Hill, CA
  Post film discussion with Sheila Abranches, granddaughter of Sousa Mendes

New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival
http://www.jewishnh.org/calendar/event-details/film-fest/2013/
Admission $10.00

• Sunday, April 7, 3:30 PM
  Cinemagic Stadium Theaters, Merrimack, NH
  Post-film discussion with Harry Oesterreicher, son & grandson of Sousa Mendes visa recipients
  
• Thursday, April 11, 7:00 PM
  Dartmouth College, Carpenter Hall Room 13, Hanover, NH
• Sunday, April 14, 2:00 PM
  Redfern Arts Center, Keene State College, Keene, NH
  Followed by 4:00 pm Reception at Thorne Sagendorf Art Gallery. 5:00 pm Panel Discussion at Redfern Arts Center. Film sponsored by Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
• Sunday, April 14, 7:30 PM
  The Music Hall Loft, Portsmouth, NH

Yom HaShoah Lecture on Aristides de Sousa Mendes

• Monday, April 8, 7:00 PM
  Dion Center, Rivier University, Nashua, NH
  Dr. Douglas Wheeler, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of New Hampshire
  Free and open to the public
  http://www.jewishnh.org/calendar/2013/april-8-event.html

For information on hosting a film screening, please contact us at info@sousamendesfoundation.org.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Visa recipients and their descendants, with two grandchildren of Sousa Mendes
Click here for details and names

Maher Nasser, UN Department of Public Information; Michael King, Director, The Rescuers;
Joyce Mandell, Producer, The Rescuers; Sousa Mendes visa recipient Leon Moed; SMF President Olivia Mattis; UN Undersecretary-General Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal
and US Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo

Stanlee Stahl, Executive Vice President of
The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous,
with Olivia Mattis, Harry Oesterreicher
and Louis-Philippe Mendes

Harry Oesterreicher, Olivia Mattis and
Louis-Philippe Mendes at the UN opening of special exhibits in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Harry Oesterreicher and Louis-Philippe Mendes in front of JFR exhibit featuring
Aristides de Sousa Mendes

Members of our Board of Directors:
Harry Oesterreicher, Sheila Abranches,
Della Peretti and Louis-Philippe Mendes

Carlos Morgadinho, Associação 25 de Abril (Toronto) with Michael King, Director,
The Rescuers

Leon Moed, Louis-Philippe Mendes, Sheila Abranches, and Joyce Mandell, Producer,
The Rescuers

Reunion of Sousa Mendes visa recipients Jean-Claude Van Itallie and John Beyersdorf

Sousa Mendes visa recipient Leon Moed

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United Nations to Screen “The Rescuers” to Mark Holocaust Remembrance Day
While Honoring Heroic Actions, Moral Courage of 12 Diplomats

The United Nations Department of Public Information will honor the heroic actions of twelve diplomats who showed moral courage and integrity to help save the lives of Jews during the Second World War with a screening of the award-winning documentary film The Rescuers on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber at New York Headquarters.  Organized by the United Nations Holocaust Programme, in partnership with the Permanent Mission of the United States and the Sousa Mendes Foundation, the screening highlights the 2013 theme “Rescue During the Holocaust: The Courage to Care”.

Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Michael King and produced by Joyce D. Mandell, The Rescuers takes the viewer on a journey to examine how the Holocaust unfolded in several countries in Europe.

The story is told through the eyes of Stephanie Nyombayire, a Rwandan anti-genocide activist who lost members of her family in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and pre-eminent historian Sir Martin Gilbert who lost family members in the Holocaust.  As they travel across fifteen countries and three continents interviewing survivors and descendants of the rescuers, Ms. Nyombayire and Mr. Gilbert explore the mystery of goodness in the face of danger.

Among those featured in the film are German diplomat and Nazi Party member Georg F. Duckwitz in Copenhagen; Americans Varian Fry and Hiram Bingham in Marseille, Japanese Consul Chiune Sugihara and Dutch diplomat Jan Zwartendijk in Kaunas; Turkish Consul Selahattin Ülkümen in Rhodes; British Captain Frank Foley in Berlin; Polish diplomat Henryk Slawik in Budapest; Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who helped coordinate the rescue efforts in Budapest in 1944 with Archbishop Angelo Rotta, who represented the Vatican; Consul Carl Lutz of Switzerland and Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese Consul-General stationed in Bordeaux who issued visas in defiance of his government’s orders, allowing safe passage of Jews to Portugal.  Princess Alice, grandmother of Prince Charles, is also recognized for hiding a Jewish family in her palace in Athens.
 

Opening the event will be Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States, and Joyce D. Mandell, the film’s producer. Following the screening, film director Michael King and Holocaust rescuee Leon Moed will participate in a panel discussion to be moderated by Maher Nasser, Director of the Department’s Outreach Division.  Born in 1931 in Antwerp, Belgium, Mr. Moed escaped Nazi-occupied Europe with his parents and two siblings under the protection of a visa issued by Mr. Sousa Mendes. 

Leon Moed in 1940 and present day

The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme was established by General Assembly resolution 60/7 in 2006 to further education about and remembrance of the Holocaust to help prevent future acts of genocide.  Its multifaceted program includes online and print educational products, seminars, exhibitions, a film series and the annual worldwide observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust each January 27th. Please visit: www.un.org/holocaustremembrance.

The Sousa Mendes Foundation

Founded in 2010, the Sousa Mendes Foundation is dedicated to honoring the memory of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and to educating the public about refugees and rescue during the Holocaust.  Named “Organization of the Year” in 2012 by The Portuguese Tribune, the Sousa Mendes Foundation is engaged in a worldwide search for families who escaped the Holocaust through Portugal.  The Foundation has a twofold mission:  raising funds for the creation of a Sousa Mendes Museum and Human Rights Center and sponsoring projects that teach the importance of moral courage in a civilized world.   www.sousamendesfoundation.org

Admission to the event is open to the public and free-of-charge. Seating is limited, and guests must pre-register by January 19th. To register, please click here or e-mail:  holocaustremembrance@un.org.  Guests must enter at 1st Avenue and 46th Street, New York, 10017.  For more information on the event, please contact:  Kimberly Mann, Manager, the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme: (212) 963-6835 or mann@un.org.

Media contact: For interviews with the film director Michael King, please contact (323) 868-1808 or bmking1@hotmail.com or mking@rescuersdoc.com.