The Brazilian known as the “Angel of Hamburg”

Working as a diplomatic clerk in Nazi Germany, Aracy de Carvalho bent the rules to grant Brazilian visas to Jewish people seeking to flee persecution and death

aracy carvalho jewish — Aracy de Carvalho. Photo: Personal archive

Dec 25, 2021 7:56 4 min read (Updated: Dec 25, 2021 7:57)

Largely unknown in her home country, Brazilian diplomatic clerk Aracy Moebius de Carvalho Guimarães Rosa is revered by Jewish people the world over. While working at the Brazilian consulate in Hamburg, she saved the life of several Jews during the Kristallnacht pogrom, helping them obtain Brazilian visas and flee Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich.

For her determined and daring actions, Aracy de Carvalho was honored with the Righteous Among the Nations award by the Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance center in Israel, given to gentiles who selflessly aided Jews in need. Known as the “Angel of Hamburg,” she is also celebrated at...

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The Brazilian known as the “Angel of Hamburg”

Working as a diplomatic clerk in Nazi Germany, Aracy de Carvalho bent the rules to grant Brazilian visas to Jewish people seeking to flee persecution and death

Access all of The Brazilian Report

Start your 7-day free trial.

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