When Angels Fooled the World

Download or read book When Angels Fooled the World written by Charles Fenyvesi and published by Univ of Wisconsin Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the years of Nazi occupation of Hungary, Hungarian Jews referred to their Gentile rescuers as "angels" -- these seemingly ordinary men and women could hardly explain their actions. "I did what I had to do almost unconsciously," said Lutheran Pastor Gabor Sztehlos. Scrawny Mr. Kanalas, a disreputable janitor, could chase away Nazi thugs without hesitation--where did such behavior come from and why? Erzesebet David was a weak and indecisive woman--where did she find the will to forge Christian birth certificates? Charles Fenyvesi and members of his family were on the helped by these angels. Thousands of others were helped by Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish consul whose actions surprised many who knew him. Fenyvesi writes as a historian and beneficiary of these modest angels who, with their actions in a time of absolute terror, soared while others crawled.