VADKERTY, Madeline: Daniel Kováč. A Story about the Rescue of Jews during the Holocaust

This article describes the rescue activities of Protestant pastor Daniel Kováč during World War II and his persecution by the Slovak State regime for issuing false baptism certificates to Jews. It also examines the postwar persecution he faced under the Czechoslovak communist regime. Drawing on archival sources, interviews and various accounts of his life, the article explores Kováč's aid to Jews and others during the war, as well as the stance of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (ECAV) in this period. While Kováč's life at times reads like an adventure novel, the article seeks to display that he risked not only his own life, but also that of his family, steadfastly upholding his ideals at the expense of his personal and professional future.