Aurelius Arkenau

Aurelius Arkenau, OP (January 7, 1900 – October 19, 1991) was a German priest who helped Jewish and Christian people escape the Nazi regime. He provided food and other goods, forged identification, and shelter. He operated with other rescuers in Leipzig, all of whom survived the Holocaust. In Leipzig, he had a place named after him. On October 27, 1998, he received the title Righteous Among the Nations posthumously. He studied theology and philosophy from 1922 to 1929, during that time he was ordained in 1928, becoming Father Aurelius Arkenau.

Pre-war career

Aurelius Arkenau died in the Kirchherten area of Bedburg on October 19, 1991, and he was buried in the southern cemetery in Düsseldorf. In 1998, a square in the Wahren district of Leipzig was named Pater-Aurelius-Platz after the priest. On October 27, 1998, he received the title Righteous Among the Nations and his name was placed on Yad Vashem's wall of honor in Jerusalem. During a ceremony on August 5, 1999, at Yad Vashem, Avi Primor, the Ambassador of the State of Israel, presented the medal and certificate to the prior of the monastery.