Turkish Consul General in Rhodes, July 1944
In July 1944, the Germans began rounding up the Jews of Rhodes. The Turkish Consul General, Selahattin Ülkümen, interceded on behalf of those Jews who were Turkish nationals. By his efforts, 42 Jewish families, totaling more than 200 Jews, were set free from the deportation to Auschwitz-Birkenau. In reprisal, the Nazi authorities bombed Ülkümen’s house, fatally injuring his pregnant wife. Consul General Ülkümen received the Righteous Among the Nations award in 1990. He currently lives in Istanbul, Turkey.
