Frank Foley Essay

Frank Foley often put himself in life or death situations and was in danger countless times. He sacrificed himself and put himself in danger many times, to save many people from death camps and other terrible scenarios. All of his time spent in WWII was to protect and save people from the terrible Nazi Germany and it’s dictator, Hitler. Frank Foley exemplifies the characteristics of a hero because he was courageous and took necessary action even when there was apparent danger; he shows us what a true hero is, and is a perfect example of what a hero is.

Foley was born in 1884, in Britain, and from then on was prepared to become a missionary. His mother was a strict Catholic, and when he was of age she sent him to France to start studying at

St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic School to become a Catholic missionary. However, Foley believed, "freedom and excesses of student life made him reconsider his suitability for the priesthood and he decided instead on an academic career". (Frank Foley 1). He almost didn’t become the revered hero he is known as today. Instead of pursuing the path his mother wanted for him, he decided to turn his boat in the direction to a more academic based career. He became a Britain Secret Service agent after the first World War, and was stationed in Berlin from 1922 to 1939. During this time, he saved an uncountable number of Jews from the terrible conditions they would have had to endure. Posing as Britain’s passport officer was the perfect cover for Foley. He had easy access to visas and handed them out to Jews, and thus they were able to escape Nazi Germany (Lusher 2).
Many people around the world have stories of Foley’s heroism. He saved thousands of lives, and many of them can attest to that. Journalist Michael Smith has spent most of his life trying to uncover stories of Foley’s courageous acts. One of Smith’s comments on Foley was, “To him the whole Hitler regime was an anathema-he said it was the rule of the devil on earth.” (Frank Foley 2). Foley strongly believed that Nazi Germany was a terrible place, and he took the next step to ensure that no one would be caught in its snares. One of the thousands of people he saved was Ze’ev Padan and his father. Their story was truly extraordinary, and it showed how Foley is a true hero. “Ze’ev Padan’s father was interned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp when Foley went to rescue him. Ze’ev too was saved by Foley’s defiance of authority. Foley was described in Adolf Eichmann’s 1961 trial by one of the witnesses, Benno Cohen as follows: ‘There was one man who stood out above all others. Captain Foley, a man who in my opinion was one of the greatest among the nations of the world. He rescued thousands of Jews from the jaws of death’” (Francis Foley 1). This is one out of thousands of anecdotes of instances where Foley saved lives. He knew what he was doing was dangerous, and yet he still followed through with it.
Foley had a huge impact in World War II, and is most definitely a hero. A hero is someone who stands up for what is right and has the courage to make the right decisions. A hero is someone who thinks of others rather than themselves and sticks up for others, regardless of any danger. A hero is someone who does the right things for the right reasons, no matter if anyone knows of what they did or gets any reward. Frank Foley was exactly that. He never talked about what he did during the war (Frank Foley 2). He was humble and looked like any other average person. He had so many acts of heroism. One example is Mariam Posner. “Mariam Posner, who was 16 when she traveled to East Prussia to beg for a visa to Palestine, even though she did not meet the Britain’s stiff conditions for entry, said: ‘Foley saved my life. We heard that there was this man Foley who was kind to the Jews. My mother begged him. He just paced up and down a little and then asked for my passport and put a visa stamp on it. He did not ask any questions,’” (Rescuer Story: Frank Foley 1). This was a courageous act of heroism on Foley’s part. He knew the danger of being caught, and he did not have diplomatic immunity, so the risk was even greater. Another receiver of Foley’s acts was Elisheva Lernau, who said, “His name is written on my heart... I owe my life to this man I never met, a man of humanity in a time of unparalleled inhumanity.” His choices were affecting people he would never meet, and yet he changed their lives forever. Frank Foley was and is still one of the greatest heros that ever lived.
While some people may not consider him a hero, he definitely was.

He not only saved thousands of lives, but did so when it was dangerous for him. Others may say that he is not a hero because what he was doing was illegal, but he was essentially saving people from something that was morally and ethically wrong. He was a light in the darkness. He was an example for what was right and what people needed to become. Another may say that he is not a hero because it took so long to recognize what he had done, so therefore what he did must not really be important or heroic. The very fact that he was recognized at all when so many others weren’t is solid proof that he was a hero, and that what he did was important.

Frank Foley used his resources in WWII to do the right thing. Although it was dangerous work, he managed to save thousands of Jewish lives during the war. Frank Foley did not consider himself a hero. He didn’t tell anyone of his accomplishments, and was only recognized for his accomplishments and successes several years after he passed away (Francis Foley 3). Foley is the very definition of a hero. He displayed every characteristic that a hero has, and more. Many have recounted his amazing actions and how his hand touched their lives. Frank Foley is definitely a hero and always will

be.

Works Cited
Lusher, Adam. “Frank Foley: The Mild-Mannered British Spy Who Defied Hitler and Saved 10,000
Jews from the Nazis.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 31 Jan. 2018,www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/frank-foley-jews-rescue-nazis-british- spy-mi6-holocaust-memorial-day-pimpernel-schindler-a8188041.html.
“Francis Foley.” Francis Foley, www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/foley.html.
([e-mail]), John Simkin. “Frank Foley.” Spartacus Educational, Spartacus Educational, spartacus-educational.com/Frank_Foley.htm.
“Frank Foley.” BBC Inside Out, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/west/series7/frank_foley.shtml.
“Rescuer Story: Frank Foley.” Holocaust Memorial Day Trust,
hmd.org.uk/resources/stories/frank-foley-0.
“Righteous among the Nations.” Frank Foley – The Holocaust Explained: Designed for Schools,
www.theholocaustexplained.org/responses-1933-1945/what-did-organisations-
do/frank-foley/.