Righteous Among the Nations 

Throughout the years of World War II, thousands of individuals bravely took it upon themselves to rescue Jews from the horrors of the concentration and death camps that were established by the Nazi regime. Many of these people, referred to as “Righteous Among the Nations”, worked bravely and quietly and their names remain unknown to much of the world. Some of these rescuers, such as Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg, who were in more prominent positions and had the ability to save many people, have become familiar because their brave actions saved thousands of lives. Actually, all the rescuers demonstrated boundless courage, a strong sense of morality, and the ability to overcome adversity. These traits enabled them to achieve the impossible.

In her book entitled “Conscience and Courage, Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust”, author Eva Fogelman writes about these extraordinary people, trying to discover the reasons why someone would put their life in danger to help another. From her exhaustive research, Ms. Fogelman concludes that there are answers much more complex than simply morality or altruism, which is defined as caring for others beyond yourself. The change from bystander to rescuer grows from an inner core where beliefs and values give them strength.

In interviews with hundreds of rescuers, the author concluded that there are five unconscious motivators that drive these special people.

  1. Inner sense of morality – the thoughts or feelings that guide behavior.

  2. Positive personal Jewish connections – people who have a special relationship with the Jews.

  3. Joining networks with common beliefs and values – Anti-Nazis that formed groups that were politically opposed to the Third Reich, commonly called the resistance.

  4. Professionalism – doctors, nurses, social workers.

  5. Concern for children – people who were asked to help the children of Jewish families.

Rescue involved many different tasks, lasting from a few hours to many years. Some of the tasks involved forging documents and visas, providing unseen shelter, secretly feeding and clothing people, shuttling people across national borders, providing money for escape, or providing medical care, among them. The above motivators helped the rescuers to push through the difficulties, allowing them to reach for the goal of helping humanity.

There is a quotation in the Talmud, the code that defines Jewish life, words, and laws, that sums up the reasons why people help others:

“ “But man was created alone to teach you that who ever kills one life, kills the entire world, and whoever saves one life, saves the entire world”
— The Talmud

The Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations
Source: You Tube - Yad Vashem

Additional sources: https://askinglot.com/how-many-descendants-are-there-from-schindlers-list , https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/oskar-schindler

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You have just entered our exhibit the
We Remember: The Righteous

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We Remember: The Righteous Exhibit Key

(Please choose from the links below to enter the exhibit room of your choice.)

  1. Exhibit Entrance

    1. Introduction

    2. Prologue

  2. Schindler & White

    1. Righteous Among the Nations

    2. Oskar Schindler

    3. Emilie Schindler

    4. Dr. Alexander White

  3. The Quatrevilles & Adelman

    1. The Rescuer

    2. The Quatrevilles & Charolette Adelman

  4. Lier & Speyer

    1. The Dutch Resistance

    2. Jantje Spier & Philip Pach Speyer

Virtual Tour of Avenue of The Righteous Among the Nations
Source: You Tube - Yad Vashem