Inauguration of a plaque in memory of former Chilean diplomat Samuel del Campo
On December 21, 2021, in a public ceremony in front of the Great Synagogue of Bucharest, the Embassy inaugurated a commemorative plaque in honor of the former Chilean diplomat Samuel del Campo, who in the middle of World War II saved the lives of approximately 1,200 Polish and Romanian Jews, by issuing Chilean passports and laissez-passers, preventing them from being sent to Nazi concentration camps. The above, while working as Charge d'Affaires a.i. of Chile in Romania (1941-1943), also representing the interests of Poland in Romania, given the German occupation of several European countries.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Silviu Vexler, also President of the Romanian Jewish Communities -who collaborated with the arrangements for the installation of the plaque in the Great Synagogue of Bucharest-, the Ambassador of Israel David Saranga, the Ambassador of Poland Maciej Lang, the Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Culture Irina Cajal, the Director of Latin American Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) Gentiana Serbu, the Director of Archives of the MAE Doru Liciu, ambassadors and representatives of the Latin American countries, the President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Bucharest, representatives of the Romanian Institute of Human Rights, history scholars from the University of Bucharest and the general public. The ceremony was covered by various local media outlets, one of them broadcasting the ceremony live.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Pía Busta, Deputy Silviu Vexler and Ambassador David Saranga addressed the audience, with a message that highlighted the heroic work of the Chilean diplomat during one of the darkest periods in human history, while they highlighted the advances in Human Rights around the world, mentioning the importance of knowing the truth of the facts, the preservation of historical memory, the reparation of the victims of Human Rights violations and the commitment with the "Never Again".
Deputy Vexler highlighted the location of the square where the commemorative plaque was placed, being very popular both by families of the Jewish Community and by tourists, since it is a place in Bucharest specially arranged to honor the victims of the Holocaust and it is located in front of the Great Synagogue of the city. Both the square and the synagogue are in turn part of the Romanian and European tour of the Jewish quarter of Bucharest. This gives great visibility to this Chilean diplomat, who stood out for his deep vocation and identity with the value and dignity of people, receiving the distinction awarded in 2017 by the Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority "Yad Vashem" as "Righteous Among the Nations".
Once the ceremony was over, a wine of honor provided by our embassy was served, along with Kosher food provided by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Bucharest.
The Embassy appreciates the collaboration of Deputy Silviu Vexler in the successful implementation of this project. The installation of this plaque contributes to a greater visibility of Chile in Romania, in a priority area of the foreign policy of both countries.
