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Gilberto Bosquez Saldivar is a Mexican hero who saved many people during World War II, but whose feat was never widely known. He was never the hero of the film by Steven Spielberg as the Oscar Shindler, and historical writings seldom mentioned his name. However, thousands of Jews owe their lives to a brave man who helped them escape the horror of the Holocaust. Gilberto Bosquez was a Mexican diplomat who worked in France during World War II and helped save up to 40,000 Jews and other refugees from Nazi persecution. Abraham Foxman, national Director of the anti – defamation League-a human rights organization that fights anti-Semitism-said his story is one of many episodes of the Holocaust that have not been properly covered and received much appreciation. Only recently did his daughter receive a posthumous award called Courage to Care, which was created in 1987 to recognize non-Jews who helped save and hide refugees during the Holocaust.

Aside from industrialist Oscar Schindler and Swedish diplomat Raul Wallenberg, most non-Jews who fought with the Nazis and helped Jews during the Holocaust are little known. Even Schindler's efforts were largely lost in the story until Spielberg made the famous film "Schindler's List."

Now they want to bring this to the public, to tell about the feat that the Mexican has done in the moment of despair of so many people.

The life of Gilberto Bosquez Saldivar is an exceptional example of humanity and high morality.

By the beginning of the Second World War, Gilberto was Consul of Mexico in French Marseille, a city where thousands of Jewish refugees rushed. They flocked to this port city with the hope of getting on any ship that sailed to North or South America. Moreover, perhaps it was almost the last chance for them to save their lives. However, to get to such a ship was not so easy. To do this, you need a visa of the country where the ship sailed.

Then Gilberto Bosques Saldivar began to give the refugees a Mexican visa. In less than two years, he issued about 40,000 visas and arranged for Charter boats, Jews and other refugees to sail to several African countries, from where they later moved to Argentina, Mexico and Brazil.

Gilberto Bosquez Saldivar was arrested by the Germans in 1943 with his family and about 40 consular officers and spent about a year in prison near Bonn until Mexico reached an agreement with the Nazis for his release.

In 1944, Saldivar wrote that he also pursued a "policy of assistance, material and moral support to the heroic defenders of the Spanish Republic, tireless brave people who fought against Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Petain and Laval."

After his release from Nazi captivity, Saldivar was in the diplomatic service for a long time. He worked as Ambassador in Cuba, Finland, Portugal and Sweden.

He lived a bright and long life and died in 1995 at the age of 103.

What do you think about the history of this Mexican hero who saved so many lives?