Jews Who Rescued Jews During the Holocaust

Jews Who Rescued Jews During the Holocaust: 100 Stories of Jewish Rescue I, Moshe Gromb, Nadav Books, 2020

 

Yad Vashem, the official Holocaust memorial in Israel, has a long list of non-Jews who helped Jews escape the Holocaust; they are called Righteous Among the Nations (the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC has a similar list). When it comes to Jews who helped Jews escape to safety, Yad Vashem has nothing. Evidently, no European Jews ever helped other Jews reach safety during World War II. (Really?) this book starts to fill in that historical hole.

A variety of methods were used to help Jews who faced deportation and death, all over Europe. Some rescuers were able to forge, and distribute, residence permits. Some were able to travel from ghetto to ghetto, relaying information, and bringing food and medical supplies. Others were able to take care of orphan children, and were able to get them over the border to safety in neutral Switzerland (for example). The stories in this book, only two or three pages each, are heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Some rescuers survived the war, while others were not so lucky.

For anyone who wants to know about a "hidden" part of the Holocaust, this is very much recommended. For anyone who thinks that Jews didn't fight back during World War II, this is very much recommended. Here is a gem of a book.