They Were Just People: Stories of Rescue in Poland During the Holocaust

Yad Vashem

Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority ) in Jerusalem bestows the title “Righteous Among the Nations” on non-Jews who helped Jews survive the Holocaust. But not on all such non-Jews. Why not? There are many reasons that people considered for the title do not meet the criteria, even though their actions may be quite laudable and even heroic. Names proposed for the honor of “Righteous” must go through a long and arduous investigative process.1 Sometimes even widely admired people do not receive this designation. The German Lutheran martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whom Germany executed in April 1945 for participating in a conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler, is a good example of someone who has not been given the “Righteous” title because he was not a “rescuer” of Jews as the Yad Vashem program defines it. Among the reasons some non-Jews fail to receive the “Righteous” title is that they did it just for the money and, thus, did not act out of righteous motives, even though their deeds may have saved Jewish lives. In other cases, those who were saved did not live long enough after World War II to testify to what the nonJews did for them. There are cases in which the survivors are afraid to recognize their helpers because they promised the non-Jews money that they were unable to pay when the war ended and now they worry the non-Jews will try to collect. Yad Vashem describes its overall mission this way: One of the principal duties of Yad Vashem is to convey the gratitude of the State of Israel and the Jewish people to those non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. . . . The Righteous honored by Yad Vashem come from 44 countries; they are Christians from all denominations as well as Muslims, religious and agnostic, men and women, people from all walks of life, of all ages, educated professionals and illiterate peasants, rich and poor. The only common denominator is the humanity and the courage they displayed by standing up for their moral principles.2 And here is Yad Vashem’s description of the “Righteous” program: In 1963, Yad Vashem embarked upon a worldwide project to grant the title of Righteous Among the Nations to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. To this end, Yad Vashem set up a public committee headed by Yad Vashem 198 199 a retired Supreme Court justice, which is responsible for granting the title. This project is the only one of its kind in the world that honors, using set criteria, the actions of those individuals who rescued Jews during the war. The Righteous program and the trees planted on the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations have received world coverage, and the concept of Righteous Among the Nations coined in the Yad Vashem Law has become a universal concept and an important symbol. [As of January 2008, 22,211 people have been recognized as Righteous among the Nations.] In addition, Yad Vashem has been developing a comprehensive encyclopedia—The Lexicon of the Righteous Among the Nations— that will eventually include the stories of all the Righteous Among the Nations. The garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, in which marble plaques have been engraved with the names of the rescuers according to country, was inaugurated in 1996. Ceremonies in which the title of Righteous Among the Nations is granted are held in the garden. Since 1963, a commission, headed by an Israeli Supreme Court justice has been charged with the duty of awarding the title “Righteous Among the Nations.” The commission is guided in its work by certain criteria and meticulously studies all pertinent documentation, including evidence by survivors and other eyewitnesses. In order to arrive at a fair evaluation of the rescuer’s deeds and motivations, the commission takes into consideration all the circumstances relevant to the rescue story, including the following: ó How the original contact was made between the rescuer and the rescued. ó A description of the aid extended. ó Whether any material compensation was paid in return for the aid, and, if so, in what amount. ó The dangers and risks faced by the rescuer at the time. ó The rescuer’s motivations, in so far as this is ascertainable; e.g., friendship , altruism, religious belief, humanitarian considerations or others. ó The availability of evidence from the rescued persons [an almost indispensable precondition for the purpose of this program]. ó Other relevant data...