This exhibition tells the remarkable story of the Ładoś Group, a courageous coalition of Polish diplomats and Jewish activists working together in Bern during the Second World War. Led by Aleksander Ładoś, chargé d’affaires ad interim, the team included diplomats Stefan Ryniewicz, Konstanty Rokicki, and Juliusz Kühl, alongside Jewish activists Abraham Silberschein and Chaim Eiss..
This exhibition tells the remarkable story of the Ładoś Group, a courageous coalition of Polish diplomats and Jewish activists working together in Bern during the Second World War. Led by Aleksander Ładoś, chargé d’affaires ad interim, the team included diplomats Stefan Ryniewicz, Konstanty Rokicki, and Juliusz Kühl, alongside Jewish activists Abraham Silberschein and Chaim Eiss.
Between early 1941 and late 1943, the group carried out a daring rescue operation. They illegally obtained and issued passports and citizenship certificates from Latin American countries—mainly Paraguay—which were sent to Jews living under German occupation. These documents dramatically increased their chances of survival: instead of being deported to extermination camps, many were sent to internment camps instead.
The Ładoś Group’s passport operation is one of the largest rescue efforts of the Second World War, reaching at least 8,000 Jews from Poland, the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany. Research by the Pilecki Institute has so far identified more than 3,280 passport holders.
This exhibition draws on the Pilecki Institute’s research since 2018, shedding new light on this little-known chapter of history and honoring the bravery and ingenuity of those who risked everything to save lives.