“ŁADOŚ LIST” IN THE DATABASE
OF THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
IN WASHINGTON, DC
Pilecki Institute
According to findings released by the Pilecki Institute, during World War II, a group of Polish diplomats in Switzerland worked to save between 8,000 and 10,000 Jews from the Holocaust. Representatives of the Polish embassy in Bern, in collaboration with Jewish organisations, provided those at risk with illegal passports from Latin American countries. This effort was led by Aleksander Ładoś, a Polish MP in Switzerland from 1940 to 1945, which is why the list of survivors bears his name.
After two years of research, the Pilecki Institute, in partnership with colleagues in Poland and abroad, published a scientific study titled “Ładoś List” in 2019. The study was prepared by a four-person team comprising Jakub Kumoch (scientific editor), Monika Maniewska, Jędrzej Uszyński, and Bartłomiej Zygmunt.
Today, the Ładoś List has been incorporated into the Museum's database, which contains information about Holocaust survivors and victims. You can find the Ładoś List database page at the following link.
– The compilation of the “Ładoś List” is one of the largest research projects conducted by the Pilecki Institute focused on the Holocaust. The publication of the research findings in the Holocaust Survivor and Victim Names database at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., holds significant importance for academic scholarship and international collaboration. This accessibility allows us to reach
a broader audience, increasing our chances of uncovering previously unknown stories and enriching our research with new sources and documents – says Prof. Krzysztof Ruchniewicz, director of the Pilecki Institute. The inclusion of Ładoś List in the Holocaust Museum's database is a major achievement that enhances our understanding of the Holocaust and the various responses to the genocide of European Jews.
The Ładoś List indicates that between 24% and 45% of Jews who possessed forged documents from Paraguay, Honduras, Haiti, or Peru managed to survive the Holocaust. Notably, several dozen of these individuals are still alive today
Research indicates that the Ładoś group assisted Jews from various European countries, with the majority of identified passports issued to individuals from occupied Poland and the Netherlands. – Regarding the documented group of survivors, most are Jews from Poland, the Netherlands, and Germany – notes Monika Maniewska, co-author of the “Ładoś List,” archivist at the Pilecki Institute, and Secretary of the Ładoś Group International Committee.
The published list features names of notable participants in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, such as Cywia Lubetkin and Yitzhak Cukierman, as well as Jewish resistance leaders from Slovakia, France, and Italy. Among the thousands who held
a Ładoś passport was Adam Daniel Rotfeld, who later became the Polish foreign minister. Another well-documented individual is Hannah “Hanneli” Goslar, Anne Frank's best friend.
The publication of the Ładoś List has received positive feedback from the scientific community.
– I am very pleased that such an important institution has recognised and acknowledged our scientific work. This is
a significant distinction for us researchers, demonstrating that our efforts hold great importance on an international scale. I hope that including the list in the Museum's database will help us reach out to family members whose fates remain unknown – emphasises Monika Maniewska, co-author of the publication.
It is worth noting that the publication of Ładoś List reveals a broader context regarding the diplomats' activities. It has been established that, in addition to rescuing Polish Jews, citizens from other countries, including Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Czechoslovakia, were also saved. Such extensive operation would not have been possible without the close cooperation between Polish diplomats and Jewish organisations. This collaboration distinctly sets the story of the Ładosia Group apart from other aid efforts made by diplomats from various countries during the Holocaust.
The first edition of Ładoś List was published in Polish in 2019, followed by a second edition in 2020. An English-language version was later released in collaboration with the World Jewish Congress in New York. This version premiered in February 2020 at
A list of 3,282 Jews who held the so-called “Ładoś passports” has been published in one of the largest databases documenting the fates of Holocaust victims and survivors, created by the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.
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