In the annals of human history, few chapters evoke as much horror, grief, and moral questioning as the Holocaust. The sheer magnitude of evil perpetrated during this dark period of the 20th century is incomprehensible. Yet, amid this abyss of cruelty and suffering, there were those who embodied the highest ideals of altruism and righteousness. They are known as Hassidei Umot Haolam, the Righteous Among the Nations.
When discussing the Holocaust, it is easy to become fixated on the depths of depravity to which humanity sank. The atrocities committed by the Nazis and their collaborators demand to be acknowledged and remembered. However, by focusing solely on the horrors, we risk overlooking the extraordinary acts of courage and compassion performed by ordinary people in the face of unspeakable evil.
Righteous Gentiles defied the prevailing tide of hatred and bigotry, often at great personal risk, to rescue Jews from the clutches of the Nazi regime. They came from diverse backgrounds and walks of life, united by a common humanity and a profound sense of moral duty. Many were ordinary citizens who had no special resources or privileges, yet they found the courage to confront injustice and help those in need.
What sets the Righteous Gentiles apart is not just their willingness to defy authority or risk their own safety, but the profound selflessness of their actions. They harbored Jews in their homes, provided them with false identities, and facilitated their escape to safety. Some forged documents or smuggled food, while others sheltered entire families, knowing that discovery could mean imprisonment, torture, or death.
It was not a fleeting gesture of sympathy or pity, but a sustained commitment to uphold the sanctity of human life amid overwhelming evil. They understood that to remain passive in the face of injustice was to be complicit in it, and so they chose resistance, even when the odds seemed insurmountable.
What makes their deeds remarkable is that many Righteous Gentiles were not driven by political ideology or personal gain but by a deeply held sense of morality rooted in their faith or principles. Among them were devout Christians who saw in the teachings of their religion a mandate to love thy neighbor and protect the vulnerable. They viewed the persecution of Jews as an affront to their own values and a test of their moral integrity.
Remembering the Righteous Gentiles this year
TO MARK Holocaust Remembrance Day this year, my community chose to focus on these Righteous Gentiles.
We heard an inspiring story from Ineke de Bokst, the daughter and granddaughter of a Dutch family Hank and Aaltga Mijernik, and their daughter Truus, who hid Simi Lobel, a little Jewish boy, in their home for three years, enabling him to survive the war and be reunited with his mother, who also, miraculously, survived.
Simi never forgot the kindness of these wonderful people. More than 50 years, he later met them to reenact a photograph of the love shown to him despite the horrors of war.
We were also given a personal insight into the story of two more saintly people, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, the zookeepers of the Warsaw Zoo, who saved more than 300 Jews by hiding them in the animal cages and dungeons of their zoo, right under the noses of the Nazis. Their story was immortalized in the 2017 film The Zookeepers’s Wife (highly recommended).
The granddaughter of this inspiring couple, Anna, was interviewed by someone in our community, and it is clear that their self-sacrifice was immense.
By honoring Righteous Gentiles, we not only pay tribute to their heroism but reaffirm our faith in the inherent goodness of humanity. Their actions are a powerful reminder that even in the darkest times, the human spirit is capable of transcending hatred and division.
In a world where cynicism and despair often seem to prevail, the example of the Righteous Among the Nations offers a glimmer of hope and inspiration. They remind us that even in the most dire circumstances, acts of kindness, compassion, and solidarity can change lives and shape the course of history.
Ultimately, the legacy of the Righteous Gentiles is not just a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, but a reaffirmation of our capacity for goodness and decency. They remind us that amid the darkness, there are always those who choose to shine brightly, illuminating the path toward a better, more compassionate world.
By honoring their memory, we not only preserve the past but also chart a course for the future – one guided by the timeless values of justice, empathy, and solidarity. In the end, it is not the atrocities of the Holocaust that define us, but the extraordinary acts of courage and compassion that emerged in response.
These stories of Righteous Gentiles challenge us to reflect on our own moral responsibilities in the face of injustice. They compel us to ask ourselves: What would we do if confronted with the same choices? Would we have the courage to stand up for what is right, even when it requires us to risk our own safety and security? Or would we turn a blind eye – or worse?
This uncomfortable question is one that we all need to face.
The writer is a rabbi and physician living in Ramat Poleg, Netanya, and a co-founder of Techelet-Inspiring Judaism.