Georges Dilsizian and his son, Andre Gustave Dilsizian have been distinguished as Righteous among the Nations, bringing the total number of recognized Armenian Rescuers of victims of the Shoah (Holocaust) up to 21. The official ceremony took place on December 28, 2011, at the Yad Vashem Museum, in Jerusalem, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation said.

Georges Dilsizian fled to France in the end of the 19th century, following the persecution of Armenians in Turkey. His son, Andre Gustave, born in France, married Lea, a Jewish woman, whose family moved to France from Turkey. During the German occupation of France, the Dilsizian’s (father and son) actively gave shelter to Lea’s relatives.

According to the IRWF’s Special Research Committee on Armenian Rescuers, “the actual number of Armenians who were involved in life-saving actions during the Holocaust, is impressive, well beyond the 21 Armenians who have been officially recognized…..Further research will certainly unveil unknown stories of heroism”.

Georges Dilsizian passed away in 1946. His son André Gustav died in 1971.

Even the current number of Armenian rescuers is high in relation to the size of its population. Turkey, for instance, with a population of 75 million, has only one recognized rescuer.