Paul Grüninger
Encyclopedia
Paul Grüninger was the commander of police in the Canton
of St. Gallen
in Switzerland
and a football player.
In August and September, 1938, following the Austrian Anschluss (annexation)
of March, he saved some 3,601 Jewish refugee
s from the Nazis
in Austria
, permitting them to enter Switzerland. At that time, Switzerland had closed its borders to refugees. He backdated passports to indicate that they had entered earlier. One year later he was convicted of fraud, and sentenced both to a prison term and to pay a fine. As an ex-convict, he found it hard to get a job, and struggled to make a living. He died in poverty in 1972, without ever having his heroism recognized.
American diplomatic pressure and pressure from Jewish groups were used by his children to clear his name and his criminal conviction from what was probably the greatest act of courage performed by any Swiss citizen in the Nazi era. The St Gallen district court exonerated him in 1995; he also received official honors in Israel
: he is one of over 20,000 gentile
s remembered as the Righteous Among the Nations
by the Yad Vashem
official Israel
i holocaust memorial. In honor of his sacrifice, a street, located in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze'ev
is named after him.
With Brühl St. Gallen he was 1914-15 Swiss champion in football. Since 2006, the stadium of SC Brühl is called Paul Grüninger Stadium.
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and a football player.
In August and September, 1938, following the Austrian Anschluss (annexation)
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of March, he saved some 3,601 Jewish refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s from the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, permitting them to enter Switzerland. At that time, Switzerland had closed its borders to refugees. He backdated passports to indicate that they had entered earlier. One year later he was convicted of fraud, and sentenced both to a prison term and to pay a fine. As an ex-convict, he found it hard to get a job, and struggled to make a living. He died in poverty in 1972, without ever having his heroism recognized.
American diplomatic pressure and pressure from Jewish groups were used by his children to clear his name and his criminal conviction from what was probably the greatest act of courage performed by any Swiss citizen in the Nazi era. The St Gallen district court exonerated him in 1995; he also received official honors in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
: he is one of over 20,000 gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
s remembered as the Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
by the Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
official Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i holocaust memorial. In honor of his sacrifice, a street, located in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze'ev
Pisgat Ze'ev
Pisgat Ze'ev , is an Israeli settlement and a residential neighborhood with a population of 50,000 located in northern East Jerusalem. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, although the Israeli government disputes this...
is named after him.
With Brühl St. Gallen he was 1914-15 Swiss champion in football. Since 2006, the stadium of SC Brühl is called Paul Grüninger Stadium.