Lutz Humanitarian Award

Dr. Lantos Swett, an internationally renowned human rights advocate, has devoted her career to fighting antisemitism and advancing human dignity around the globe. She is the President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, an organization she founded to continue the work of her father, the late Congressman Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in the U.S. Congress. She is also a former Chair and Vice-Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and has served as Co-Chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit since its inception in 2021. She serves as Co-Chair of the Executive Committee of Budapest-based Tom Lantos Institute and as Co-Chair of The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea’s Board of Directors.

Thank you to our Generous Sponsors: 

Program Leader: 
The Lubin-Green Foundation 

Program Supporters: 
Marcy & Rick Cornfeld
Jennifer & Jonathan Deutsch 
Devy & Jerry Goldenberg
Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis
Nancy & Stephen Keyser 
Leslie & Michael Litwack
UMB 

Interested in sponsorships? Contact Chaney Jewell at CJewell@STLHolocaustMuseum.org or 314-442-3710.

Carl Lutz was a Swiss diplomat stationed in Budapest, Hungary, during the Second World War. Unlike many others, who stood by and did nothing in the face of Nazi persecution, Lutz used his position in the Swiss legation to save lives. Lutz remarked that he believed his actions to be a “matter of conscience” and that he had an obligation to protect those “condemned to die.” Because of this, Lutz is credited with organizing the largest diplomatic rescue mission of the entire Holocaust. Lutz was educated in the United States, where he resided for over 20 years. He lived in the St. Louis area for nearly a decade.

The Lutz Humanitarian Award is given to an individual or organization whose work or actions personify the spirit of Carl Lutz and others involved in the Swiss rescue efforts in Budapest, Hungary, during the Second World War. The recipient or recipients will personify Lutz’s commitment to:

• Standing up against injustice and hatred,

• Performing good works at the risk of one’s life and/or career
• And/or protecting the helpless

The 2025 Lutz Humanitarian Award Program will take place on May 15, 2025. All funds raised for this program go towards the Museum’s mission to educate future generations to reject hatred, promote understanding, and inspire change – using the history and lessons of the Holocaust.