Szalai Pál

Szalai, Pál Pál Szalai was born in Budapest in 1915. At age 14 he joined the Hungarian Boy Scouts, and in 1939 he became a member of the Hungarian pro-Nazi nationalist movement, the Arrow Cross Party. Three years later he became disillusioned with the movement, and left the party. He spent the next two years in Transylvania, and returned to Budapest in October 1944, following the rise to power of the Arrow Cross. Despite having left the party, Szalai was given a high-ranking position in the police force. In the following months, until the liberation of Budapest, he used this placement to save Jews, warning them of imminent danger, helping secure their property, issuing documents that enabled them to leave the ghetto, and sending policemen to protect them from raids conducted by Arrow Cross militia. He also supported the rescue activities of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg*. After the war, when the role of Hungarians during the German occupation was investigated, Pál Szalai told the authorities about his wartime activities. Some Jews also testified on Szalai’s behalf. The head of the Budapest Judenrat stated that when his family was led by Arrow Cross militia to the banks of the River Danube to be shot, Szalai rushed to their aid and released them. Investigators concluded that Szalai had indeed used his position to help the persecuted, and acquitted him of all charges. When the Hungarian communist regime was established, Szalai was put on trial once more, and together with a colleague and a number of Jewish leaders was accused of "involvement in the murder of Raoul Wallenberg." Released in 1955, Szalai immigrated to the United States. He settled in California, where he changed his name to Paul Sterling. He died in Los Angeles on January 15, 1994. On June 24, 2008, Yad Vashem recognized Pál Szalai as Righteous Among the Nations.