Rescue of Jews during the Holocaust

Righteous
Among the Nations
By country

During World War II, some individuals and groups helped Jews and others escape the Holocaust conducted by Nazi Germany.

The support, or at least absence of active opposition, of the local population was essential to Jews attempting to hide but often lacking in Eastern Europe.[1] Those in hiding depended on the assistance of non-Jews.[2] Having money,[3] social connections with non-Jews, a non-Jewish appearance, perfect command of the local language, determination, and luck played a major role in determining survival.[4] Jews in hiding were hunted down with the assistance of local collaborators and rewards offered for their denunciation.[5][6][7] The death penalty was sometimes enforced on people hiding them, especially in eastern Europe, including Poland.[8][9][10] Rescuers' motivations varied on a spectrum from altruism to expecting sex or material gain; it was not uncommon for helpers to betray or murder Jews if their money ran out.[11][9][12]

Jews were hidden or saved by non-Jews throughout Nazi-occupied Europe. The Catholic Church and Vatican opposed the systemic murder of Jews, and in Italy the Mussolini government refused to deport Jews or participate in their mass murder. Many diplomats were involved in efforts to help Jews escape, such as by providing documents that allowed safe transit.

Since 1953, Israel's Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, has recognized 26,973 people as Righteous among the Nations.[13] Yad Vashem's Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, headed by an Israeli Supreme Court justice, recognizes rescuers of Jews as Righteous among the Nations to honor non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by Nazi Germany.

  1. ^ Beorn 2018, pp. 236–237.
  2. ^ Gerlach 2016, p. 419.
  3. ^ Gerlach 2016, p. 420.
  4. ^ Gerlach 2016, p. 423.
  5. ^ Longerich 2010, p. 382.
  6. ^ Beorn 2018, p. 260.
  7. ^ Burzlaff 2020, p. 1066.
  8. ^ Gerlach 2016, p. 360.
  9. ^ a b Bartov 2023, p. 206.
  10. ^ Beorn 2018, p. 269.
  11. ^ Beorn 2018, pp. 269–270.
  12. ^ Burzlaff 2020, pp. 1065, 1075.
  13. ^ The Righteous Among The Nations