An exhibition dedicated to the Pál Komor, entitled The Forgotten Pearl of Peace, was opened in Shanghai this Wednesday by Deputy State Secretary Gergely Prőhle. Pál Komor (1886-1973), a Hungarian diplomat, assisted several thousand European Jews in finding asylum in China during the Second World War.

He issued identity documents for European Jews who had to escape from their Nazi-occupied homeland between 1938 and 1942.  He – along with Victor Sassoon, a British citizen – set up the International Committee for European Immigrants in China, which, later, was often referred to as the Komor Committee. Both Chinese and Japanese authorities accepted these documents, ensuring that refugees could stay in China and return to Europe after the war. Komor also assisted Jewish refugees by providing them food and accommodation.

At the opening of the exhibition Deputy State Secretary Gergely Prőhle lauded the human greatness of the Hungarian diplomat, and stressed that Komor always adhered to his principles and served as an example for helping others. The exhibition introduces his through several photos, documents and letters, while a workshop discussion was also dedicated his activities and legacy.

(Minister of Foreign Affairs)