Aracy de Carvalho Guimarães Rosa (née Aracy Moebius de Carvalho) (5 December 1908 – 28 February 2011) was a Brazilian diplomatic clerk who has been recognized with the title of

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

Early life

Born to a German mother in Rio Negro,

Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America Places In Argentina *Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city * Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province In Brazil *Paraná (state), a state ...

, Aracy de Carvalho was able to speak German, English, French and her native Portuguese. She moved to

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

. She lived there with her German first husband Johannes Edward Ludwig Tess and their child until 1935, when they separated.Christine Pachec
"Aracy Moebius de Carvalho: 'Justa entre as nações'"
The International Wallenberg Foundation

Humanitarian work

In 1936, she was appointed to the Brazilian Consulate in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, Germany, where she was made the Chief of the Passport Section. She started to help Jewish people during

Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

, on 9 November 1938. She handed out

visa Visa most commonly refers to: * Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Vi ...

s to

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

s without the red "J" that identified them as such, since Brazilian Dictator

Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; ; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Due to his long and contr ...

non-officially denied visas to Jews. She was in close relations with underground

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

s in Germany and would even grant visas to Jews that she knew had forged passports. In 1938 she met fellow diplomat and assistant-Consul

João Guimarães Rosa João Guimarães Rosa (; 27 June 1908 – 19 November 1967) was a Brazilian novelist, short story writer, poet and diplomat. Rosa only wrote one novel, '' Grande Sertão: Veredas'' (known in English as ''The Devil to Pay in the Backlands''), a ...

, who would later become her second husband, and one of the most important Brazilian writers. His magnum opus, '' Grande Sertão: Veredas'', was dedicated to her. With his help, she intensified her humanitarian activity, saving a great number of Jews from imprisonment and death. She remained in Germany until 1942, when Brazil broke relations with Germany and joined the Allied Forces.

Recognition

On 8 July 1982, Aracy de Carvalho became one of the two Brazilians honoured by the

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

with the Righteous Among the Nations award, together with

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

Luiz Martins de Souza Dantas. She is depicted in the 2021 biographical TV miniseries '' Passport to Freedom''. Brazilian actress Sophie Charlotte portrays Aracy de Carvalho.

Death

In her late days Aracy de Carvalho suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. She died peacefully at the age of 102, in her home in São Paulo, on 28 February 2011, due to natural causes.

References

* *Schpun, Mônica Raïsa. ''Justa. Aracy de Carvalho e o resgate de judeus: trocando a Alemanha nazista pelo Brasil.'' Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Civilização Brasileira, 2011, 526 p. .

External links

Aracy de Carvalho Guimarães Rosa
– her activity to save Jews' lives during the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, at

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosa, Aracy De Carvalho Guimaraes 1908 births 2011 deaths Brazilian diplomats Brazilian Righteous Among the Nations Brazilian women centenarians People from Paraná (state) Brazilian people of German descent Deaths from dementia in Brazil Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Brazil