Israel to name Salvadoran diplomat to ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ list for saving Jews
By APThursday, May 13, 2010
Israel to name Salvadoran to ‘Righteous’ list
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Israel’s ambassador to El Salvador says a Salvadoran diplomat will be named as one of the “Righteous Among the Nations” for helping save Jews during World War II.
Ambassador Mattanya Cohen says the distinction will be awarded posthumously to Jose Arturo Castellanos, who gave citizenship certificates to as many as 40,000 Jews during the Holocaust.
The “Righteous Among the Nations” recognizes non-Jews who helped Jews escape death in Nazi-controlled Europe.
Castellanos is the first Salvadoran to be so recognized. He served as El Salvador’s consul general in Geneva, Switzerland, in the early 1940s. He died at age 86 in his homeland in 1977.
The announcement was made Thursday.
