TRIP PARTICIPANTS

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  • Mariana Abrantes

    TOUR CO-LEADER

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    The dramatic events of 1940 came alive for me the first time I took this Journey, coming to feel and to understand the persecution and the fear which forced so many people to flee, but also the courage of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and the hope of the refugees looking for a safe haven in Portugal and beyond. Knowing when to take a stand, be it Charles de Gaulle's "Appel à la Résistance" or Aristides de Sousa Mendes's decision to "Save them All," two shining events in an otherwise dark period of history lead us to reflect on how we react to everyday dramas around us. Hearing the stories of the refugee families allows us to focus on the courage and strength needed for resilience in today's dramatic times.

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  • Rabbi Manuel Armon

    PARTICIPANT

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    As a rabbi and a Holocaust educator I feel I will gain tremendously by attending the trip. I have attended previous Holocaust-related tours in Poland and Italy. Attending will add to my knowledge of the Holocaust.

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  • Maria Isabel Camacho-Santos

    PARTICIPANT

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    Since I was a little girl, my father talked about Aristides de Sousa Mendes's story. We lived under Salazar's regime. Those days were bad for those who loved freedom and democracy. Things changed since he died and life went on! After I retired and came to the United States, I met Miguel Avila and his family who talked about everything that was going on to honor our beloved Consul. I began to attend all the events and join the groups created by family and friends on Facebook. When possible we, Frank and I, try to go places where Aristides is going to be honored. Since I met Sousa Mendes's daughter Teresinha and a few of his grandchildren, the desire to join you on this journey grew in me.

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  • Dores do Carmo Cerveira Fernandes

    PARTICIPANT

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    Whenever I have the opportunity, I look for training in the area of the Holocaust and human rights. As an educator, I try to know more about the events of World War II, particularly about the Holocaust and Jewish culture, so I try to visit places of remembrance in Europe.

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  • Maria de Carvalho

    PARTICIPANT

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    I am honored to join the Sousa Mendes journey this summer because of the power of his story and because it intersects with some parts of my own life. All my ancestors came from Portugal. Like Sr. Sousa Mendes, my father served as Portuguese Consul for some years. My work as an Episcopal priest drew me into a close relationship with the rabbi and members of a local synagogue. An interfaith conversation that arose from that relationship became very precious to the members of our congregation and helped us begin to appreciate the tragic history of Christian anti-Semitism. I look forward to learning from everyone on the trip.

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  • Manuel Dias

    TOUR CO-LEADER

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    Manuel Dias Vaz est un humaniste citoyen du Monde, un Européen franco-portugais, un homme de convictions passionné par ses multiples engagements. Il participe à faire vivre et partager les valeurs universelles d'humanisme, de tolérance, de respect, de solidarité, et de fraternité. Manuel est docteur en sociologie de l'université de Bordeaux. Il préside le Rahmi (Réseau aquitain pour l'histoire et la mémoire de l'immigration), la section bordelaise de la Ligue des droits de l'homme. Il est vice-président et fondateur du Comité national français en hommage à Aristides de Sousa Mendes, et membre fondateur du Musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration. Manuel a consacré trente ans de sa vie à faire connaître l'histoire lumineuse d'Aristides de Sousa Mendes, des Justes parmi les Nations, et des Résistants durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

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  • Henri and Josephine Dyner

    DYNER FAMILY

    PARTICIPANTS

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    In my 2016 testimonial, I summarized my life story. (Please click above on "DYNER FAMILY" for testimonial.) Josephine was born in Amsterdam in January 1945 and we got married in Brussels in 1972. We moved from Brussels to London in 1974 and to the US in 1984. Our 2 sons were born in London. As far as "Why are we doing this trip?" To reconnect to a distant past and very important phase of my early life, triggering perhaps some dormant memories when confronted with sites we probably passed in our journey in 1940. This trip is also in memory of my parents who had the good fortune and intuition to undertake to flee from Europe at the right time, thereby saving my life. And last but not least to remember Aristides de Sousa Mendes, this outstanding, righteous and principled human being who through his sacrifice, dedication and bravery saved so many people, including our family. His example stands out today more than ever before, when we see with trepidation a rebirth of Nationalism and increase in unashamed racism and bigotry.

    -Henri Dyner
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  • Manuel and Maria Fernandes

    PARTICIPANTS

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    I have been interested in the story of Sousa Mendes since the latter part of the twentieth century. I am generally familiar with the region where Sousa Mendes comes from. I have lived in Yonkers since 1956 when I immigrated from Portugal, and met my wife here. She is of Portuguese descent. I was Vice President of Finance at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Rockland County, NY. My wife is a registered nurse, and we are both retired. We are going on this trip hoping to learn the history of the worst of humanity and also the best of humanity.

    -Manuel Fernandes
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  • Cookie Fischer

    VAN DEN BERGH FAMILY

    PARTICIPANT

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    July 2016, Portland, Oregon, I found out my mother had escaped from Europe with the help of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese Consul stationed in Bordeaux, France. This extraordinary man, against the direct orders of his superiors, issued visas for my mother and thousands of Jewish and non-Jewish refugees to escape Europe via Portugal. Thanks to him I am alive. June 2017, Bayonne, France, marked a life changing experience for me. I participated in the “Journey on the Road to Freedom.” I needed to discover my mother’s own hidden past. Together with other Visa Recipients and descendants of Visa Recipients, we retraced the life path of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and the courageous escape of our closest family members. It was an inspiring and emotional experience to explore and discover the path of this courageous man, to be in the exact places where, ultimately, we had been given the possibility to survive the Holocaust. How can we understand what our families went through but by experiencing the space, breathing the air and imagining their fear and courage. I look forward to new personal discoveries together with all those who will join us for the “Journey on the Road to Freedom 2019."

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  • Robert Jacobvitz

    TOUR CO-LEADER

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    I am a 33-year activist in bringing the Sousa Mendes story to others. In 2008, I published the first and to date most authoritative "paper" describing the effort to restore Sousa Mendes' rightful place in contemporary Portuguese history: Reinstating the Name and Honor of a Portuguese Diplomat Who Rescued Jews During World War II. I was last in Portugal in the late 1980's accompanying John Paul Abranches, the youngest son of Aristides and Angelina de Sousa Mendes. During that time we visited the "Casa do Passal" which was then in total decay, with the entrance hall serving as a roost for pigeons. I have also had the singular experience and honor of either meeting or working with eight of the Sousa Mendes children and many of their spouses. I am very much looking forward to joining you on this inspiring experience as one of the co-leaders of the tour.

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  • April I. Keech

    PARTICIPANT

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    As a child, the true stories of rescue fascinated me. As I learned about the Holocaust, the courage and resilience of Jewish people taught me powerful lessons about justice, resistance and the brilliant diversity of the human race. During my childhood I read stories of Norwegian, Danish and people of other nationalities who helped Jews escape from the Nazi extermination. During studies for an MA in Abrahamic faiths, I explored the first woman rabbi Regina Jonas who ministered in the concentration camps. But I had never heard of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and his rescue work during this dangerous and complicated time in Europe. This why I want to learn more during this trip.

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  • Michele Koven and Brian Fields

    KOVEN FAMILY

    PARTICIPANTS

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    I would like to learn about and experience the trip my grandparents and father took when they fled France in June 1940.

    -Michele Koven
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  • Ana Margarida Mascarenhas

    SOUSA MENDES FAMILY

    PARTICIPANT

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    Photo and statement coming

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  • Olivia Mattis

    MATUZEWITZ FAMILY

    TOUR CO-LEADER

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    I am a musicologist by training and profession and grew up in Scarsdale, NY. My father and eleven other members of my family received visas from Aristides de Sousa Mendes as they fled from Belgium in May and June of 1940. In 2010 I co-founded the Sousa Mendes Foundation, which I ran for five years on top of my full-time job in academic administration. Now I am devoting my daytime hours to the Foundation, and feel very fulfilled.

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  • Myra Bard Michaelson

    PARTICIPANT

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    I am a graduate of McGill University and the University of British Columbia and have been working as an educator in a private Jewish Day school in Vancouver for the past 30 years. Learning and teaching about Jewish history is of great interest for me. I enjoy traveling and looking for our historical roots in countries that I visit. I have been involved in Holocaust education for many years and as such, had the privilege to chaperone a March of the Living teen group to Poland and Israel several years ago. There is no end to learning, and I find I am now in search of more opportunities particularly involving travel. For me the Sousa Mendes journey will be an important learning/travel opportunity particularly as I will be using Joan Halperin’s book and curriculum (co-produced by the Sousa Mendes Foundation) with my Grade Six students in our Jewish History studies.

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  • António Moncada de Sousa Mendes

    SOUSA MENDES FAMILY

    PARTICIPANT

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    I think that being a grandson of the twins Aristides and César is a heavy responsibility. Each day of my life, I wonder if I deserve that honour and hope to transmit their legacy to the people around me and beyond. Last year I published a book: "Aristides de Sousa Mendes: Memórias de um neto."

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  • Jill and Edward Neuwelt

    PARTICIPANTS

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    As the daughter of refugees who returned to Vienna after the War, I was always interested to learn more about the Holocaust. Yet this topic was avoided in my family while I was growing up. Our Jewish roots were not discussed. After an 8-month stint in Israel, and my immigration to the US In my early 20s, I sought out Jewish friends in order to become more comfortable with my identity. I was also lucky to find my husband, Ed. In 2000 I joined the Jewish Family and Child Services here, in Portland, Oregon, as their Holocaust Survivor Outreach Coordinator. My job entailed securing compensation and financial restitution for survivors, and we started a successful social group, "Cafe Europa." I retired in 2012. Last semester I audited an course on the Holocaust at our local college, Portland State University. I am excited to join this group in order to learn more about Sousa Mendes, who was not mentioned in my -- otherwise excellent -- class. Ed grew up in Lafayette, Indiana, where his family were members of the reform Temple. He attended Northwestern University in Chicago and Medical School in Denver. I met him during his first year of residency in Dallas. His uncle died of a brain tumor when Ed was 6 years old and that influenced his career choice. He has been treating and researching brain tumors for his entire career. We are both looking forward to the trip because it combines history that is meaningful to us with beautiful country we would like to see.

    -Jill Neuwelt
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  • Heidi Omlor

    PARTICIPANT

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    As a Holocaust educator, one of the areas I am most interested in is rescue. I feel it is important to highlight those who were willing to risk their lives to save the Jews. I have found that students are always interested in knowing more about those who willing to help, despite the great personal cost to them. By going on this trip, it will enable me to share even more details and through personal experience, teach my students about Sousa Mendes and those he risked his life and career to save.

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  • Fanny Fraynd Rabinovich

    PARTICIPANT

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    I am very interested in joining the “Journey on the Road to Freedom” trip. I am currently working on getting Consul Raymundo Aguirre from Colombia, assigned to Warsaw, Poland in 1936, recognized as a “Righteous among the Nations.” He saved a large number of Jews by giving them agricultural visas to Colombia, including my family. Afterwards he was ostracized because he was “filling up Colombia with Jews.“ The government took away everything from him, just like Consul Aristides de Sousa Mendes. Attending this trip will add to my knowledge of the process of recognition in addition to learning more about the Holocaust and Consul Aristides de Sousa Mendes. I am honored to be able to participate in this trip. Thank you very much for the opportunity.

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  • Josefa Reis

    PARTICIPANT

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    I have always been interested in the theme of World War II, the Holocaust and Human Rights, and I am honored to be able to participate in the 4th edition of the "Journey on the road to Freedom," to follow the same path as "Refugees and their families" saved by Aristides de Sousa Mendes in 1940, in Bordeaux. I am an Arts teacher, at EB Aristides de Sousa Mendes, from the School Group of Carregal do Sal, UNESCO school, for good educational practices, motivated by the example of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, in the values of solidarity, altruism and humanism. I promote the project "Duty of Memory- young people for human rights," with the purpose of knowing the past, understanding the present and preparing students for the future.

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  • Ann and Steven Saltzman

    PARTICIPANTS

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    Ann Saltzman is Professor Emerita of Psychology at Drew University, Madison, NJ and a Holocaust educator who has taught about the Righteous. She is interested in learning more about Aristides de Sousa Mendes as an individual and what motivated him to issue visas, going against his government’s restrictions. She is also interested in understanding how his thinking might have changed as his commitment to his own mission deepened. Also, why it took so long for Portugal to recognize Sousa Mendes as the hero that he was? Finally, Ann is eager to meet descendants of Sousa Mendes and to learn how his actions have influenced their lives. Steven Saltzman is a modern European urban historian who has taught at New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University, Newark. He is interested in better understanding how governmental structures in the 1930's may have facilitated Sousa Mendes’ ability to flaunt instructions to him by senior officials in the Portuguese government. He would like to learn how the geography of the areas on the refugee route may have aided in their successful flights from persecution. Finally, he is interested in the stories of refugees as a window into these historic events.

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  • Aristides and Teresa de Sousa Mendes

    SOUSA MENDES FAMILY

    PARTICIPANTS

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    I am the 5th child of Clotilde, the eldest daughter of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, after whom I was named. In my professional life, I was a computer engineer, and my wife, Teresa, who has a degree in Germanic Philology, worked with German companies, as well as with state schools. We have one son and one daughter and now we have five grandchildren. From my grandfather Aristides I inherited a passion for music, and we transmitted it to our descendants: all of us play a musical instrument.

    -Aristides de Sousa Mendes
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  • Silverio de Sousa Mendes and family

    SOUSA MENDES FAMILY

    PARTICIPANTS

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    Seventy-nine years is a long time. Even a heroic act, such as saving tens of thousands of lives from the Nazi executioners, can easily fall into oblivion. Such examples as those of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and his wife Angelina de Sousa Mendes, who in June 1940 granted visas to an estimated 30,000 Jewish and non-Jewish refugees against Salazar's orders, should guide us in complex times such as today, when Europe faces the largest refugee drama since the Second World War. If there were more awareness, especially on the part of politicians, influencers and other decision makers… the world would not be as it is. In order to not erase this example from our memories, we as a descendants of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and Angelina de Sousa Mendes; myself (great-grandchild), my wife Maria Teresa and our daughters Carlota (great-great-grandchild) and Matilde (great-great-grandchild), will be joining this Journey. We’re looking forward to meeting the other participants on the tour and hearing their first-person stories.

    -Silverio de Sousa Mendes
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  • Danny and Natalie Spungen

    PARTICIPANTS

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    I go to Poland at least once a year with CANDLES Holocaust Museum. I'm on their Board. I am also very active (Docent) at the Illinois Holocaust Museum. I also have probably the largest private collection/exhibit of Holocaust material outside of any museum. The exhibit includes "Righteous" documents from Wallenberg, Sugihara, Lutz, Langlett, Bishop Rotta. I do not have a Dr. Ho visa or a Sousa Mendes visa (I just recently heard of him). As a facilitator of Holocaust and Genocide education using our Foundation’s Holocaust exhibit, I am always looking for ways to better engage students and our general audience. With the subject material generally being so “dark” I like to add a little “light” -- and the Righteous Among the Nations is an important “piece of light” that I like to highlight. I have dedicated important space in our exhibit for documents related to the Righteous. As a “student” I love learning, and I can never get enough of learning how and why certain people are "upstanders" when the vast majority of humanity is not. This photo represents who Natalie and are and why we do what we do. Emmanuel (top row center) is a survivor of the Rwanda 1994 Genocide and now part of our expanded family that includes 11 former Rotary exchange students that lived with us for at least one year. Our boy from Thailand (not in photo) lived with us for 12 years until he went back to Thailand in March 2017 after graduating from the University of Toledo (OH) on a tennis scholarship. Our two natural children (Jonathan and Leanna) have been exposed to an incredible amount of “life” and we hope the seeds planted will benefit others in the future, but now they need space to grow on their own.

    -Danny Spungen
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  • Joanne Tuck and Stuart Freedman

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    Joanne taught Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior for many years at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. Stuart was a high school teacher who taught AP American History and ended his career as a special education teacher in the Worcester, MA public schools. Since retirement, Stu has pursued an avid interest in WW II history. We foresee the trip as a great opportunity to participate in survivors’ journey to freedom. We recognize Sousa Mendes as a brave man, who, as John F. Kennedy would have said, is "A Profile in Courage." We’re excited to visit this part of Europe and share this experience with the group. Our grown children, Stephanie and Robert, will be joining us for the last portion of the tour, in Lisbon.

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  • Ellen Widawsky

    PARTICIPANT

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    I have been teaching an Introduction to the Holocaust unit for several years, and each year I incorporate a little bit more into the unit. For the past couple of years I have focused on the Righteous Among the Nations and have found that my students are extremely interested in learning about non-Jews who took great risks to try to save Jewish friends or strangers, just because it was the right thing to do. I happened across Joan Halperin, the author of the book My Sister’s Eyes: A Family Chronicle of Rescue and Loss During World War II, and was intrigued about Aristides de Sousa Mendes. Upon further investigation I learned about your trip. I am very excited about retracing the footsteps of the people who received forbidden visas and bringing that story back to my students. I am looking forward to meeting the other participants on the trip.