Giorgio Perlasca Hero

A hero is someone who does what is right even when they know nobody is watching them. They are always prepared for any situation and they don’t let anything get in their way of accomplishing something. Giorgio Perlasca was one of the people who saved a lot of the Jews, over 3,000. Giorgio Perlasca was born on January 31st, 1910 and died in August 1992 because of a heart attack. Giorgio Perlasca exhibits the characteristics of a hero because he did everything he could to help the Jews without being selfish about it.

Giorgio Perlasca always did what was right even if he had to lie to do it. Lying isn’t necessarily the best thing he could have done in all the situations he was in but, that is what he did to help. He was one of many people who

risked their lives to help the Jews. He was one of the people who spoke the truth about himself but, lied to help keep others safe. For example, he claimed that, “[he] was neither a fascist nor an anti-fascist, but [he] was anti-Nazi.” (Perlasca) This is the truth about how he felt during his lifetime. But, the fascist was kind of a lie because that is what he wanted for his country. So, he did both lie and told the truth in this quote.
He was prepared for any situation in case the Nazis found out about a plan that he had.

He was prepared to make a new plan sometimes in a split second. Once he grabbed two boys off of a freight train that was heading to a prison camp. He was prepared for that situation because he just grabbed the boys off of the train without thinking just to save their lives. He ended up saving those two boys’ lives that day. He just did that out of the blue to save just those two lives but, those two lives were going to be lost if he didn’t do something about it. He always thought about things on his feet for example he says, “At first, I didn’t know what to do, but then I began to feel like fish in water. I continued giving out protective passes and looked after the Jews in the ‘safe houses’ flying the Spanish flag.” (Perlasca) This quote shows that he thought on his feet because he was trying to figure out what to do and then he got the hang of it and just started doing more and more for the Jews. He was giving out protective passes by appointing himself d’affaires and obtaining them that way. So that he could save a lot of the Jews in that time by doing that.

Finally, he does whatever he needs to do and he doesn’t let anything stop him from doing what he needs to do. He could have gotten caught and given a warning from the Nazis and he still wouldn’t let that stop him from still saving the Jews. Even if there is a small obstacle Giorgio Perlasca would try to get around that obstacle. But, some people wouldn’t consider him a hero because he couldn’t get around those obstacles. He also made some bad mistakes that may have also caused him to be called a normal

person.
Overall, I do feel like Giorgio Perlasca was a hero. Although some people might not believe he was a hero, even himself I think he was. He even said so himself that he wouldn’t classify himself as a hero but, others would consider him this or those reasons. He was prepared for anything, he overcomes obstacles, and he always tried to do the right thing. Those are some of the many reasons that other people and I believe Giorgio Perlasca was a hero.

Works Cited

Russell, Shahan. “Giorgio Perlasca - The Heroic Italian Businessman Who Saved Thousands Of Jewish People By Posing As A Diplomat.” WAR HISTORY ONLINE, 13 Dec. 2017, www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/giorgio-perlasca.html.

“Perlasca, Giorgio.” The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, jfr.org/rescuer-stories/perlasca-giorgio/.

“Giorgio Perlasca.” Jewish Virtual Library, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/giorgio-perlasca.