Santaella Jose & Waltraut (Schrader)

Santaella, Jose Santaella, Carmen Waltraut During World War II, in Berlin, Dr. Jose Santaella, born in 1904 in Baena, Spain, served as the agricultural attaché in the Spanish Legation. He and his wife, Carmen Waltraut, born in 1913 in Grethem, Germany, saved the lives of three Jewish women. The Santaellas were evacuated with their four children in 1943 to the guesthouse on an estate belonging to German nobility in Diedersdorf, near Berlin. They gave shelter to Gertrude Neumann, a Jewish woman who did all their sewing and they paid her. She recommended that they hire Ruth Arndt (later Gumpel) a pediatric nurse to help take care of the children. In April 1944, Ruth met with Dr. Santaella and he took her to Diedersdorf. Like Neumann, she was paid for her work and went with the family on summer vacation to the Harz mountains. She was treated warmly and with respect and the Santaellas even sent food ration cards to Berlin for her family who was also in hiding. In May 1944, the Santaellas sent for Ruth’s mother, Lina. She was employed in the Santaella household as a cook. To avoid suspicion, their identity was disguised; Lina became “Mrs. Werner” and Ruth was “Nurse Ruth Neu.” In September 1944, Dr. Santaella was transferred to Switzerland. Ruth maintained contact with them from her new hiding place, receiving clothing and food packages from them. After the war, the contacts continued on a regular basis and Ruth visited the Santaellas in Spain. Ruth Gumpel believes that the motivation of her rescuers, today parents to seven children and grandparents to 13 grandchildren, derived from their deep religious beliefs and basic human kindness. On October 13, 1988, Yad Vashem recognized Jose and Carmen Waltraut Santaella as Righteous Among the Nations.