Selahattin Ülkümen

Selahattin Ülkümen (* 1914, † June 7, 2003 in Istanbul) was a Turkish diplomat. As Consul General on the island of Rhodes in 1944, he rescued about 50 people of Jewish faith from deportation to German gas chambers.

Procedure

The time belonging to Italy island of Rhodes in 1943 was occupied by the Germans. The 30 -year-old took advantage of his position to Rhodes surviving Jews who were Ottoman citizens before the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and their spouses and children, but soon even people without any connection to the Turkey issue Turkish passports. So she escaped on 23 July 1944 - unlike other 1700 Jews from Rhodes - deportation to a concentration camp Auschwitz- Birkenau.

Consequences

As a result, his house was bombed by the German armed forces. Yet his very pregnant wife was so badly injured that she died a few days later. The time of the attack yet unborn son survived.

When asked whether he would have acted the same way if he had known what would happen to Ülkümen have responded to his son later:

Awards

• Righteous Among the Nations in 1990
• Tree in the memorial grove of Yad Vashem

Exhibition

At Ülkümen and other Turkish savior of many Jews - Necdet Kent, then ambassador in Marseille, Namik Kemal and Yolga, Deputy Consul General in Paris - was from 27 May to end of June 2006 in the exhibition " visa for life" in the Lord's Prayer Church in Berlin- Wilmersdorf recalls.