Romanian Diplomat Honored in Argentina for WWII Heroism

The British Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, held a ceremony this week to honor Florin Manoliu, a Romanian diplomat recognized for saving Jews during World War II. In 1943 and 1944, Manoliu worked with George Mandel-Mantello to distribute El Salvadorian citizenship papers to Hungarian Jews, protecting them from Nazi deportation.

Despite his arrest and interrogation in Vienna and Berlin, Manoliu secured the delivery of these vital documents. He also obtained copies of the Auschwitz Protocols, early eyewitness accounts of the camp’s horrors, and delivered them to Mandel-Mantello, contributing to their publication in the Allied press.

After facing political persecution in Romania, Manoliu fled to Argentina in 1947, becoming a respected academic at the Universidad Nacional del Sur. The ceremony, attended by diplomatic and community leaders, unveiled a memorial to Manoliu, recognizing his bravery and dedication to humanitarianism. Attendees emphasized the importance of remembering individuals who acted with moral courage across borders and generations, and preserving the memory of the Holocaust.