Holocaust Heroes
The Benevolent Saviors of the Holocaust
During the Holocaust, towns watched as their innocent Jewish neighbors were persecuted, deported, or killed. Most of these people were bystanders to the abhorent Nazi scheme to elimate all Jews. However, a small minority had chosen to rebel against the Nazi ideology. These people were called the Righteous Among the Nations, better known today as the "Righteous Gentiles".
Paradoxical to norms and beliefs of Nazi-loving Aryan Germans, the Righetous Among the Nations thought of Jews as equals. The Jews were virtuous people who were fighting for their lives and needed help. The only way that they could get this help was not from other Jews, but from Aryans who knew that the Nazi conspiracy had gone too far. The Righteous Gentiles were ordinary people who started by sheltering Jews for a couple days, which soon evolved to years of cooperation and commitment.
It was an unthinkable crime to shelter or rescue a Jew. People who aided Jews not only were executed themselves, their entire families were killed. Signs were posted everywhere, and the thought of ending up like the Jews, or worse, drew many away from the aiding of Jews. The risks were high, yet the Righteous Gentiles were up for the challenge. The Righteous Gentiles not only showed a huge amount of courage in their actions, but also a true belief in compassion. Their lives were completely changed, no longer normal, as they lived in constant fear of being caught or ratted out by a fellow neighbor or acquintance.
The Gentiles helped Jews in many different ways. Some supplied false papers and identities (forgery) to hide the Jews' true religion. Others facilitated in the smuggling of Jews to flee to safer countries. Many agreed to help salvage young Jewish children from the loathsome fate that awaited them by taking them into their houses and raising them. Finally, the most generous of all Gentiles were the ones who took Jewish families and hid them inside of their houses. They had to deal with the burden of providing food to these families, as they could not leave (too dangerous). It was especially challenging to do this as their countries were at war.
Consequently, the Righteous Gentiles teach us that heroism can be obtained by ordinary people. Anybody can make a difference, as long as you stay true to what is right. Because of the Righteous Gentiles, hundreds of Jewish lives have been spared.
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