This Spanish diplomat held the post of Consul General in Athens between 1943 and 1944, during which time he was responsible for saving the lives of more than 600 Sephardic Jews in Salonika. In June, the Yad Vashem Institute decided to posthumously honour this courage, sense of justice and humanity that inspired this Spanish public servant, by naming him Righteous Among the Nations.
Sebastian de Romero Radigales becomes the fourth public servant from our country to be bestowed as Righteous among the Nations, joining Ángel Sanz Briz, Eduardo Propper de Callejón and José Ruiz Santaella, with Carmen Schrader, the wife of the latter, also receiving this honour. The work carried out by Spanish diplomats in defence of the Jewish community, especially Sephardic Jews, during the conflict which blighted Europe between 1939 and 1945, is a source of immense pride for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation.
The Spanish Ambassador to Israel, Fernando Carderera and the Director General of the Centro Sefarad Israel, Miguel de Lucas, attended a ceremony at the headquarters of this institution in Jerusalem, at which relatives of the Spanish diplomat and survivors that he saved were also present. In honour of this acknowledgement, the name of Sebastian de Romero Radigales was unveiled on the Wall of Honour at Yad Vashem.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, together with the Centro Sefarad Israel - a public diplomacy institute linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation - put forward his name to be bestowed this honour and provided documentary archives which served as evidence in the award process.
Ministerio