Holocaust Memorial Honors Actress's Grandfather

Aron Heller - Associated Press

JERUSALEM -- Israel's Holocaust memorial on Wednesday posthumously recognized a prominent Spanish diplomat, who was the grandfather of the Oscar-nominated actress Helena Bonham Carter, for his role in saving hundreds of Jews during World War II.

Yad Vashem named Eduardo Propper de Callejon a "Righteous Among the Nations," the highest honor granted to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. More than 22,000 have been honored since the designation was originated in 1963, including Oskar Schindler, whose efforts to save more than 1,000 Jews was documented in the Oscar-winning film "Schindler's List," and Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who is credited for having saved at least 20,000 lives from Nazi death camps.

Only four Spaniards have been granted the award. About 6 million European Jews were killed by German Nazis and their collaborators during World War II.

As German troops marched into France in the summer of 1940, Propper de Callejon, then first secretary in the Spanish embassy in Paris, stamped and signed passports for four days nearly nonstop to allow refugees to escape to Spain, and from there to the relative safety of Portugal.

Propper de Callejon, a Franco loyalist, defied Spanish foreign ministry instructions not to issue such visas. In 1941, he was demoted and never promoted to be an ambassador. He retired in 1965 and died in 1972.

The exact number of visas Propper de Callejon issued remains unknown, but Yad Vashem Director Avner Shalev - who called Propper de Callejon the "Spanish Raoul Wallenberg" - said it was believed to be at least 1,500, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

"He was signing papers with both his hands. He signed so many that his hands hurt so much, my mother had to bandage them at the end of the day," said Elena Bonham Carter, his daughter. "It was extraordinary. He said those were the most important days of his life."

Bonham Carter attended Wednesday's ceremony at the memorial's Garden of the Righteous along with her brother, Felipe Propper de Callejon. "Today, justice has been done to my father," she said.

Bonham Carter said her famous daughter wished she could have been at the ceremony as well.

Helena Bonham Carter is currently on location for the latest film in the Harry Potter series - "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." In it she plays Bellatrix Lestrange, Lord Voldemort's most loyal and evil ally.

"She's a witch," her mother said with a smile. "I spoke to her yesterday and she said it is such a bore. She would have loved to be here today. She is so proud of him."

Helena Bonham Carter, 41, was nominated for an Academy Award for her leading role in the 1997 film, "The Wings of the Dove." She is also well known for her starring roles in movies including "Fight Club," "Howard's End," "Frankenstein" and several films directed by her longtime partner, Tim Burton.

Attempts to reach her for comment through her London-based agent were unsuccessful. But on one of her fan Web sites she indicated a great appreciation for her maternal grandfather.

"He was such a modest man and he was never acknowledged for what he did," she told The Observer. "I don't think I fully appreciated it myself until now."

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