Romanian Diplomat and Barrister.
Karadja was the Romanian Consul-General in Berlin (1931 - 1941) and the director of the consular department in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1941 - 1944). Profoundly influenced by humanistic education he received in England, he adhered to the principles of international law concerning human rights. As a person of strong resolve, he never gave in to political pressures but exerted great pains at diplomatic level to protect the rights of Romanian citizens in various parts of Europe, irregardless of religion or ethnicity. Once, he received orders to stamp the word "Jew" onto the passports of Romanian Jews, he responded in protest that such act will worsen their conditions in Germany, somehow placing needless obstacles to their return to Romania. For his decisive actions in favor of Jews of Romanian citizenship that also benefited many others from Hungary, France and Germany, he was tagged by the German authorities as a "persona non grata." Thanks to his efforts, 600 French Jews, 10,000 Romanian Jews, 51,000 Hungarian Jews and a few dozen German Jews returned or migrated to Romania, saved from the very clutches of their Nazi pursuers. In 2005, Karadja was posthumously honored for his actions as "Righteous among the Nations" during a ceremony held at the Israeli embassy in Berlin.
Karadja was the Romanian Consul-General in Berlin (1931 - 1941) and the director of the consular department in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1941 - 1944). Profoundly influenced by humanistic education he received in England, he adhered to the principles of international law concerning human rights. As a person of strong resolve, he never gave in to political pressures but exerted great pains at diplomatic level to protect the rights of Romanian citizens in various parts of Europe, irregardless of religion or ethnicity. Once, he received orders to stamp the word "Jew" onto the passports of Romanian Jews, he responded in protest that such act will worsen their conditions in Germany, somehow placing needless obstacles to their return to Romania. For his decisive actions in favor of Jews of Romanian citizenship that also benefited many others from Hungary, France and Germany, he was tagged by the German authorities as a "persona non grata." Thanks to his efforts, 600 French Jews, 10,000 Romanian Jews, 51,000 Hungarian Jews and a few dozen German Jews returned or migrated to Romania, saved from the very clutches of their Nazi pursuers. In 2005, Karadja was posthumously honored for his actions as "Righteous among the Nations" during a ceremony held at the Israeli embassy in Berlin.
Romanian Diplomat and Barrister.
Karadja was the Romanian Consul-General in Berlin (1931 - 1941) and the director of the consular department in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1941 - 1944). Profoundly influenced by humanistic education he received in England, he adhered to the principles of international law concerning human rights. As a person of strong resolve, he never gave in to political pressures but exerted great pains at diplomatic level to protect the rights of Romanian citizens in various parts of Europe, irregardless of religion or ethnicity. Once, he received orders to stamp the word "Jew" onto the passports of Romanian Jews, he responded in protest that such act will worsen their conditions in Germany, somehow placing needless obstacles to their return to Romania. For his decisive actions in favor of Jews of Romanian citizenship that also benefited many others from Hungary, France and Germany, he was tagged by the German authorities as a "persona non grata." Thanks to his efforts, 600 French Jews, 10,000 Romanian Jews, 51,000 Hungarian Jews and a few dozen German Jews returned or migrated to Romania, saved from the very clutches of their Nazi pursuers. In 2005, Karadja was posthumously honored for his actions as "Righteous among the Nations" during a ceremony held at the Israeli embassy in Berlin.
Karadja was the Romanian Consul-General in Berlin (1931 - 1941) and the director of the consular department in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1941 - 1944). Profoundly influenced by humanistic education he received in England, he adhered to the principles of international law concerning human rights. As a person of strong resolve, he never gave in to political pressures but exerted great pains at diplomatic level to protect the rights of Romanian citizens in various parts of Europe, irregardless of religion or ethnicity. Once, he received orders to stamp the word "Jew" onto the passports of Romanian Jews, he responded in protest that such act will worsen their conditions in Germany, somehow placing needless obstacles to their return to Romania. For his decisive actions in favor of Jews of Romanian citizenship that also benefited many others from Hungary, France and Germany, he was tagged by the German authorities as a "persona non grata." Thanks to his efforts, 600 French Jews, 10,000 Romanian Jews, 51,000 Hungarian Jews and a few dozen German Jews returned or migrated to Romania, saved from the very clutches of their Nazi pursuers. In 2005, Karadja was posthumously honored for his actions as "Righteous among the Nations" during a ceremony held at the Israeli embassy in Berlin.
