The Iranian Schindler: Abdol Hossein Sardari and the Rescue of Jews During WWII

During World War II, amidst the horrors of the Holocaust, numerous individuals risked their lives to save Jews from Nazi persecution. Even as Oskar Schindler is widely recognized for his efforts in rescuing over 1,000 Jewish people, the story of Abdol Hossein Sardari, an Iranian diplomat, reveals another courageous act of defiance and humanitarianism.

Oskar Schindler: A Well-Known Rescuer

Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist and member of the Nazi Party, is celebrated for employing Jewish forced laborers in his factories in occupied Poland and the Czech Republic. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum details how Schindler initially sought profit but ultimately used his wealth and influence to protect his Jewish employees from the Nazis. His story gained widespread recognition through the novel Schindler’s Ark and the subsequent film Schindler’s List.

The Discovery of Sardari’s Story

The story of Abdol Hossein Sardari came to light through the research of Dr. Fariborz Mokhtari, a political science professor at the University of Vermont. While reading Abbas Milani’s book, The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution, Dr. Mokhtari learned of a rumor concerning Amir-Abbas Hoveyda’s uncle, an Iranian diplomat in Paris, who aided Jews escaping Nazi persecution. This sparked Dr. Mokhtari’s investigation, leading him to uncover the full extent of Sardari’s actions.

Abdol Hossein Sardari: A Diplomat’s Courage

Abdol Hossein Sardari, a young Iranian diplomat assigned to Paris, leveraged his position and social connections to save Jewish lives. Known for hosting lavish parties frequented by European elites and even Nazi officers, Sardari used these relationships to issue hundreds of fake Iranian passports to Jews, enabling them to flee Europe for the relative safety of Iran. The BBC reports that Sardari employed bribery, bluff, and corruption to achieve his goals.

The Scale of Sardari’s Rescue Efforts

Dr. Mokhtari documented Sardari’s story in his 2011 book, In the Lion’s Shadow: The Iranian Schindler and His Homeland in the Second World War. Sardari is believed to have issued approximately 500 passports, which, considering that each passport often covered an entire family, potentially saved the lives of over 2,000 Jews. A Gestapo document even complained that Sardari had aided over 2,000 “stateless people” by providing them with Iranian travel documents.

Recognition and Legacy

Despite his heroic actions, Abdol Hossein Sardari declined the honor of being recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust commemoration center. He believed he was simply doing what was right. However, his story deserves wider recognition to inspire future generations. While General Dwight D. Eisenhower is remembered for documenting Nazi atrocities, Sardari’s quiet courage offers another vital chapter in the history of Holocaust rescue efforts.