Gerhart M. Riegner
Gerhart Moritz Riegner was a German philosopher, and the secretary-general of the World Jewish Congress from 1965 to 1983. He studied law in Heidelberg, Paris and at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Life
On August 8, 1942, he sent the famous Riegner Telegram through diplomatic channels to Stephen [Samuel Wise], president of the World Jewish Congress. that employed high-level Nazi officials.His telegram was the first official communication about the planned Holocaust. It read in part:
Awards and honors
In 1994 he received the Four Freedoms Award for the Freedom of WorshipIn 2001 Riegner received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Lucerne.