Righteous Among the Nations explained

Righteous Among the Nations (Hebrew: חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, including Jews, who were being exterminated by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. The term originates from the concept of, a legal term used to refer to non-Jewish observers of the Seven Laws of Noah.

Endowment

Criteria of the Knesset

When Yad Vashem, the Shoah Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, was established in 1953 by the Knesset, one of its tasks was to commemorate the "Righteous Among the Nations". The Righteous were defined as non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

Since 1963, a commission headed by a justice of the Supreme Court of Israel has been charged with the duty of awarding the honorary title "Righteous Among the Nations". Guided in its work by certain criteria, the commission meticulously studies all documentation including evidence by survivors and other eyewitnesses, evaluates the historical circumstances and the element of risk to the rescuer, and then decides if the case meets the criteria. Those criteria are:[1]

The award has been given without regard to the social rank of the helper. It has been given to royalty such as Princess Alice of Battenberg, Queen Mother Helen of Romania and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium but also to others like the philosopher Jacques Ellul, Salvadoran diplomat José Castellanos Contreras and to Amsterdam department store employee Hendrika Gerritsen.[2] [3]

Reception in Jerusalem

A person who is recognized as Righteous for having taken risks to help Jews during the Holocaust is awarded a medal in their name, a certificate of honor, and the privilege of having the name added to those on the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem (the last is in lieu of a tree planting, which was discontinued for lack of space). The awards are distributed to the rescuers or their next of kin during ceremonies in Israel, or in their countries of residence through the offices of Israel's diplomatic representatives. These ceremonies are attended by local government representatives and are given wide media coverage.

Israeli citizenship and legal benefits

The Yad Vashem Law authorizes Yad Vashem "to confer honorary citizenship upon the Righteous Among the Nations, and if they have died, the commemorative citizenship of the State of Israel, in recognition of their actions". Anyone who has been recognized as "Righteous" is entitled to apply to Yad Vashem for the certificate. If the person is no longer alive, their next of kin is entitled to request that commemorative citizenship be conferred on the Righteous who has died.[4]

In total, men and women from 51 countries have been recognized, amounting to more than 10,000 authenticated rescue stories. Yad Vashem's policy is to pursue the program for as long as petitions for this title are received and are supported by evidence that meets the criteria.[5]

Recipients who choose to live in the State of Israel are entitled to a pension equal to the average national wage and free health care, as well as assistance with housing and nursing care.

Recipients settled in Israel

At least 130 Righteous non-Jews have settled in Israel. They were welcomed by Israeli authorities, and were granted citizenship. In the mid-1980s, they became entitled to special pensions. Some of them settled in British Mandatory Palestine before Israel's establishment shortly after World War II, or in the early years of Israel, while others came later. Those who came earlier often spoke fluent Hebrew and have integrated into Israeli society.[6] Children and grandchildren of Righteous Gentiles are entitled to a temporary residence visa in Israel, but not Israeli citizenship.[7]

Non-Jewish initiatives for the Righteous

Christian honours

One Righteous Among the Nations, Saint Elizabeth Hesselblad of Sweden, has been canonized a saint in the Catholic Church.[8] Seven others have been beatified: Giuseppe Girotti and Odoardo Focherini of Italy,[9] [10] Klymentiy Sheptytsky of Ukraine,[11] Bernhard Lichtenberg of Germany,[12] Sára Salkaházi of Hungary, and Józef and Wiktoria Ulma of Poland (together with their children).

Maria Skobtsova of Paris and her companions are recognised as martyrs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Her feast day is 20 July.

Secular honours

In 2015, Lithuania's first street sign honoring a Righteous Among the Nations was unveiled in Vilnius.[13] The street is named Onos Šimaitės gatvė, after Ona Šimaitė, a Vilnius University librarian who helped and rescued Jewish people in the Vilna Ghetto.

In Zvolen, Slovakia, the Park of Generous Souls commemorates the Righteous Among the Nations from Slovakia.[14]

Beginning in 2018, China's most significant World War II museum, the War of Resistance Museum, features China's Righteous Among the Nations and other Chinese figures who helped Jews escape Europe.[15]

Number of awards by country

, the award has been made to 28,217 people. Yad Vashem emphasises that the table is not representative of the effort or proportion of Jews saved per country, and notes that these numbers "are not necessarily an indication of the actual number of rescuers in each country, but reflect the cases that were made available to Yad Vashem."

CountryNumber of awardsNotable recipients 1939 populationRecipients per 100,000 inhabitants
Poland7,177Jan Karski, Maria Kotarba, Irena Sendler, Irena Adamowicz34,849,00020.59
Netherlands5,910Frits Philips, Jan Zwartendijk, Miep Gies, Bep Voskuijl, Corrie ten Boom, Henk Zanoli8,729,00067.70
France4,150Anne Beaumanoir, Jeanne Brousse, André and Magda Trocmé42,000,0009.88
Ukraine2,673Klymentiy Sheptytsky32,425,0008.24
Belgium1,774Queen Elisabeth of Belgium8,387,00021.15
Lithuania918Ona Šimaitė2,575,00035.65
Hungary876Endre Szervánszky, Sára Salkaházi9,129,0009.60
Italy744Giorgio Perlasca, Gino Bartali, Giuseppe Girotti, Odoardo Focherini, Carlo Angela43,400,0001.71
Belarus6765,568,99412.14
Germany641Oskar Schindler, Wilm Hosenfeld, Hans von Dohnanyi, Bernhard Lichtenberg, Gustav Schröder, Karl Plagge69,314,0000.92
Slovakia621Pavel Peter Gojdič2,655,00023.39
Greece362Queen Helen, Queen Mother of Romania,
Princess Alice of Battenberg, Damaskinos of Athens		7,222,0005.01
215108,377,0000.20
Serbia139
Latvia138Jānis Lipke1,994,5006.97
Croatia130Ivan Vranetić4,235,000[16] 3.07
Czech Republic119
Austria1136,658,0001.7
79
Albania75Arslan Rezniqi1,073,000 6.99
Romania69Queen Helen, Queen Mother of Romania19,933,800 0.35
Norway672,945,0002.27
Switzerland49Paul Grüninger, Carl Lutz4,200,0001.17
Bosnia and Herzegovina49Nurija Pozderac
Armenia24
United Kingdom22Frank Foley, Sofka Skipwith, Jane Haining
Denmark22Danish resistance movement3,795,0000.58
Bulgaria20Dimitar Peshev, Stefan I of Bulgaria, Cyril of Bulgaria6,458,0000.31
Slovenia15
10
Sweden10Raoul Wallenberg, Elizabeth Hesselblad
Spain9Ángel Sanz Briz, Eduardo Propper de Callejón
United States5Varian Fry, Martha Sharp, Waitstill Sharp, Roddie Edmonds, Lois Gunden
Estonia3Uku Masing1,134,0000.26
Indonesia3Tole Madna, Mima Saina
Peru3José Maria Barreto
Portugal3Aristides de Sousa Mendes
Brazil2Luis Martins de Souza Dantas, Aracy de Carvalho
Chile2Samuel del Campo
2Ho Feng-Shan, Pan Junshun
1Ámparo Otero Pappo
Egypt1Mohammed Helmy
Turkey1Selahattin Ülkümen
Montenegro1Petar Zanković
Ecuador1Manuel Muñoz Borrero
Japan1Chiune Sugihara
Luxembourg1Victor Bodson
1Paul Nguyễn Công Anh
Ireland1Mary Elmes
El Salvador1José Castellanos Contreras
Georgia1Sergei Metreveli

See also

Bibliography

The Council to Aid Jews in Occupied Poland 1942-1945, Tomaszewski, Irene & Werbowski, Tecia,, Price-Patterson.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Paulsson . Gunnar S. . Gunnar S. Paulsson . The Rescue of Jews by Non-Jews in Nazi-Occupied Poland . The Journal of Holocaust Education . June 1998 . 7 . 1–2 . 19–44 . 10.1080/17504902.1998.11087056.
  2. Web site: Gerritsen, Hendrika Jacoba (Heinsius) . 6 April 2018 . The Righteous Among the Nations . Yad Vashem . Jerusalem . 7 April 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180407184412/http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=4043182 . live .
  3. News: Familieberichten. Family notices. Het Parool. 28 December 1990. Delpher. 13 April 2018. 28 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230928231502/https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/view?coll=ddd&identifier=ABCDDD:010833219:mpeg21:a0223. live.
  4. https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/about-the-program/honoring-the-righteous.html Honoring the Righteous
  5. News: First Arab Nominated for Holocaust Honor. Associated Press. 30 January 2007. 1 February 2007. 8 July 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110708055917/http://palestinianpundit.blogspot.com/2007/01/first-arab-nominated-for-holocaust.html. live.
  6. Web site: Jeffay . Nathan . 6 October 2011 . 'Righteous' Moved to Israel After Saving Jews in Holocaust . 2013-09-06 . . 24 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140424163417/http://forward.com/articles/143987/righteous-moved-to-israel-after-saving-jews-in-hol/ . live .
  7. Web site: Righteous Among the Nations Visa \ Residence permit in Israel . 6 October 2011 . 2021-07-03 . 24 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140424163417/http://forward.com/articles/143987/righteous-moved-to-israel-after-saving-jews-in-hol/ . live .
  8. Web site: Greaves . Mark . 18 December 2015 . Swedish Sister who hid Jews from the Nazis is to be canonised . 19 December 2015 . . 9 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191209080150/http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/12/18/swedish-sister-who-hid-jews-from-the-nazis-is-to-be-canonised/ . live .
  9. Web site: Blessed Giuseppe Girotti: Another Dominican Saint in the Making. Order of Preachers. 21 December 2016. 28 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161228012907/http://www.op.org/en/content/blessed-giuseppe-girotti-another-dominican-saint-making. dead.
  10. Web site: Odoardo Focherini: Late journalist, hero and Blessed of the Catholic Church. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211107/l1BH-X8Wzmw. 2021-11-07 . live. Rome Reports. 19 June 2013.
  11. Web site: Beatification of the Servants of God on June 27, 2001 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141129055636/http://www.ugcc.org.ua/35.0.html?&L=2 . 29 November 2014 . Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
  12. Book: Gaydosh, Brenda . Bernhard Lichtenberg. Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr of the Nazi Regime . Lexington Books . 2017 . 978-1-4985-5311-7 . Lanham, MD . 175.
  13. Web site: 25 September 2015 . Lithuania's first street honoring Holocaust Righteous unveiled in Vilnius . 2015-09-26 . Jewish Telegraphic Agency . 26 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150926120140/http://www.jta.org/2015/09/25/news-opinion/world/lithuanias-first-street-honoring-holocaust-righteous-unveiled-in-vilnius . live .
  14. Nižňanský . Eduard . On Relations between the Slovak Majority and Jewish Minority During World War II . . 2014 . 42 . 2 . 89. 0084-3296.
  15. Book: Mitter, Rana . China's good war : how World War II is shaping a new nationalism . 2020 . . 978-0-674-98426-4 . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 120–121 . 1141442704 . 18 October 2022 . 2 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230402121743/https://www.worldcat.org/title/1141442704 . live .
  16. Geiger . Vladimir . 2012 . Human losses of Croats in World War II and the immediate post-war period caused by the Chetniks (Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland) and the Partisans (People's Liberation Army and the partisan detachment of Yugoslavia/Yugoslav Army) and the Yugoslav Communist authoritities. Numerical indicators . Review of Croatian History . Croatian institute of history . 8 . 1 . 77–121 . 16 August 2023 . 17 November 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151117064114/http://hrcak.srce.hr/103223?lang=en . live .

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