I am often writing here about the sad Jewish histories of WWII, especially how Jews were left alone or even helped to go on their way to the death. However, there were also exceptions and my travels are opening my mind to new information. Here is a short account of my latest discoveries while traveling to Griebnitzee - near Berlin - and Potsdam. In Gribnitzee, on Karl-Marx Straße nr. 11, family Anemarie and Dr. Helmuth Sell hid and helped to go out of the country Ezra Ben Gershom, a young Jewish boy who previously was living on the streets for months. The German family, social-democrats and enemies of the Nazi regime, obtained forged documents for the young boy and helped him to escape. Their efforts were postumously recognized in 1981 by the Yad Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem with the prestigious title 'righteous among the nations'. Carola Müller (born Hammer) risked her own life helping the Jewish couple Louise and Victoria Hagen, who were deprived of livelihood because of their Jewish origin. She was even detained for a couple of days by the Gestapo for her stubborness to give up in the front of the evil. Hagen family was able to leave savely the country sailing direction USA. Müller's efforts were recognized later by Yad Vashem and a public memorial mention can be seen in Potsdam, on Friedrich Ebert Straße where she lived.
Warsaw, Poland… 1941 – Wladyslaw Bartoszewski was seventeen in 1939 when the Germans invaded Poland. He participated in the defense of Warsaw and was arrested on [Read More]
A new exhibition aims to celebrate the role Muslims played in saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust.
From the Besa Exhibit at the American Jewish Museum of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. Albanian Muslims Who Saved Jews During the Holocaus
While Spielberg guaranteed that the world would remember Oskar Schindler, there were others who also saw the plight of the European Jews and went the extra mile to save as many as possible. While TopTenz has already mentioned Raoul Wallenberg and Chiune Sugihara there were others who rose to the challenge, taking incredible risks and saving thousands of Jews fleeing the Nazi Death Camps. 10. Giorgio Perlasca After the collapse of Italy, the Nazis rounded up thousands of Italian government officials in German-controlled Italian territory. One of these was Giorgio Perlasca. After spending months in detention, he was able to
Archbishop Damaskinos Papandreou was born Dimitrios Papandreou in Dorvitsa, Greece in 1890. He enlisted in the Greek army during the Balkan Wars. Ordained a priest of the Greek Orthodox Church in 1917, he was appointed archbishop of Athens in 1941. During the Holocaust, Archbishop Damaskinos and Athens police chief Angelos Evert saved thousands of Greek […]
Abbe Pierre - Inspirational French humanitarian. Abbe Pierre, who was repeatedly voted France’s most popular man, died in 2007, aged 94.
Sir Nicholas rescued 669 children destined for Nazi concentration camps by organising trains to carry them from occupied Prague to Britain
The little-known story of Sonia Butt, a daring British teenager who risked her life to be a spy in Nazi-occupied France during the Second World War, has come to light.
Irene Gut Opdyke (1922-2003) was a Polish heroine who saved many Polish Jews from the German gas chambers and SS troops. In a feat of courage and at risk of her own life, she rescued Jews from certain death. Gut was one of five daughters born into a Catholic family in a small village in […]
She's guarded the secret of her family name closely for 75 years but now the daughter of Rudolf Hoess has finally broken her silence on the ignorant bliss of her childhood next to the infamous Auschwitz.
In The Monuments Men, opening February 7, George Clooney is his usual charming self in a dapper mustache and Army officer’s garb, cracking wise in Art Deco cafes and backslapping buddies Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and John Goodman as they race through Europe in the wake of D-Day. Billed as “the greatest treasure hunt in . . . Keep reading »
Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in World War Two - but in 1945 he was taken by Soviet forces and was never seen again.
ב- 12 במרץ 1938, סיפחה גרמניה הנאצית את אוסטריה במהלך שנודע בתור ה"אנשלוס". עבור 200,000 יהודי אוסטריה, סימן האיחוד את תחילתו של משטר האימים. יהודי אוסטריה ניסו נואשות לעזוב את המדינה, אולם נתקלו במכשולים כמעט בלתי עבירים. המשטר הנאצי עמד על כך שהיהודים יעזבו רק אם תהיה ברשותם אשרת כניסה למדינה אחרת. למרות הסכנה האיומה […]
Tina Strobos, a Dutch student who rescued 100 Jews during the Holocaust, dies at 91.
Millions of Jews were rounded up and shipped off to die as the Nazi regime which came to power 80 years ago in Germany - set about the systematic 'cleansing' of the country. But many children escaped.
The Cristeros, The White Rose and the Fortnight For Freedom
In WWII a beautiful, young woman is caught red-handed. Her crime? Helping downed Allied pilots escape Nazi-occupied Europe. How does she get away with it?
Henry Flescher, originally from Vienna, Austria, took to Reddit to help share the story of the Holocaust through the lens of a survivor of the tragedy.
While Memorial Day in the United States is an opportunity to cultivate memory of all kinds—remembrance of ancestors, family, and departed friends—it is
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom Who is Corrie Ten Boom? Cornelia "Corrie" Ten Boom (1892 - 1983) was a Dutch spinster, who along with her family, aided many Jews to escape the Nazi Holocaust of World War II. They were devout Christians. Interesting facts about her life: She was born in Amsterdam but died in Orange, California. Corrie grew up in a pious household where the family was very active in the community. Her father owned a watch shop which they lived above and she and her sister aided him in the daily duties. All three lived together as her sister and herself never married (at the time this story takes place she was 50 years old). Corrie always considered her life ordinary until… Jewish people began arriving on their doorstep asking for help during World War II. This began a year long effort of becoming a safe house for those being persecuted and those involved in the Dutch underground. She organized plans to house and provide food for these people during rationing which was no easy task during Nazi occupation in Holland. Between Corrie, her family and friends, they saved approximately 800 Jews along with Dutch underground members. In 1944, they were betrayed and their father, sister and Corrie were all imprisoned. The Jews that they were hiding at that time, along with the Dutch underground workers were kept safe since the hidden room they created for refuge was not revealed (it was a false wall in Corrie's bedroom). A few days later the resistance group saved those in the Ten Boom home. Her father died ten days later in the prison. While Betsie (her sister) and Corrie were in the prisons, they preached the Gospel of Jesus. Her sister ended up dying in the prisons while Corrie was later released due to a paperwork error (or as some of us may call the hidden hand of God!). She spent the rest of her life in ministry to the Lord (now aged 53) and spreading the message of God's love and forgiveness. She died on her 91st birthday. Web Source 1, Source 2, Source 3 What is special about the whole Ten Boom family is that they lived the ultimate act of love. They laid down their life for a friend (John 15:13)! The testimony of God that they left behind is more inspirational than I could write in a few lines and I hesitate to include too much information in order to encourage you to read for yourselves (there is an excellent movie as well, see below) this most exemplary "love" story. What they went through will bring inspiration to every one! When you think something is too hard for you to do or bear, think of this horrendous time in history and you will be humbled and encouraged by the beautiful examples of God's faithful shining through his ordinary followers that were doing unordinary things. The Hiding Place Book (For ages 13 - 99 years) The Hiding Place DVDTHE MOVIE (Excellent drama for 13 - 99 years of age.) Corrie Ten Boom: Shining in the Darkness (Heroes for Young Readers) by Renee Meloche (A beautifully illustrated, hardcover book for 4 - 8 year olds that gently introduces Corrie Ten Boom in poem form to young readers.) Corrie Ten Boom: Are All The Watches Safe (Little Lights Series) by Catherine Mackenzie (For 4 - 7 years of age in hardcover with the message that being with Jesus is the only safe place.) You can also view some pictures of her home and family here for further study and some beautiful quotes from Corrie here. Linked up with: Raising Homemakers Deep Roots at Home
What compels Jews in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, and abroad to promote a positive image of Ottomans and Turks while they deny the Armenian genocide and the existence of antisemitism in Turkey? Based on historical narrative, the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 were embraced by the Ottoman Empire and then, later, protected from the Nazis during WWII. If we believe that Turks and Jews have lived in harmony for so long, then how can we believe that the Turks could have committed genocide against the Armenians? Marc David Baer confronts these convictions and circumstances to reflect on what moral responsibility the descendants of the victims of one genocide have to the descendants of victims of another. Baer delves into the history of Muslim-Jewish relations in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey to find the origin of these many tangled truths. He aims to bring about reconciliation between Jews, Muslims, and Christians, not only to face inconvenient historical facts but to confront it and come to terms. By looking at the complexities of interreligious relations, Holocaust denial, genocide and ethnic cleansing, and confronting some long-standing historical stereotypes, Baer sets out to tell a new history that goes against Turkish antisemitism and admits to the Armenian genocide.
Sir Nicholas Winton, who has been granted the Czech Republic's highest honour, is the 'British Schindler' who saved hundreds of children from the Nazis
I love history and more so when it's brought alive by the likes of Nat Geo, History Channel & the BBC. Take World War II. What we studied in school was an itsy bitsy part of the story. 65 years after the war ended there is still so much to learn about those fateful six years. And so it was that on Sunday I learnt the fascinating story of the 'Princess Spy'. Did you know that Noor Inayat Khan, a young woman of Indian origin who worked as a radio operator behind enemy lines? For her courage and her contribution towards the war effort, Noor was posthumously awarded the George Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry not on the battle field. It is a truly fascinating story! Noor's father was the great grandson of Tipu Sultan, but he was a musician and Sufi scholar who lived in Europe. Unfortunately, he died when Noor was 13. Her mother fell apart and thr young Noor brought up her three younger siblings, even as she studied child psychology and music. At age 25, she brought out a book on the Jataka Tales and would probably have made some impact in the gentle world of the arts when World War II broke out. Noor was brought up as a pacifist, but she wished to contribute to the war effort. So, she joined the WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) and trained to be a wireless operator. She was later recruited to join a very dangerous 'special operation' where she would be dropped in Nazi occupied France and transmit vital information about the ground situation there, by wireless. Although her superiors had their doubts about her suitability for the job she scored on two counts: fluent French and proficiency as a radio operator. Now the reason this job was so dangerous was that you would be operating in civilian clothes and hence classified a 'spy'. That meant, the Geneva convention did not apply. If caught, you would be executed. 'If' is actually a wrong choice of word - 'when' caught, more like it! The average stint of an undercover radio operator was 6 weeks. But somehow Noor managed to do her job undetected, for 4 months. The wireless was a bulky contraption of 16 odd kgs and she carried it around with her from place to place, evading the Nazis. Sadly, the entire undercover network was compromised by a double agent called Henri Dericourt and she was eventually busted. The place she had been transmitting from was just a stone's throw from the Gestapo HQ in Paris! After being captured, Noor showed exemplary courage by refusing to part with any information. She tried to escape more than once and was classified as a 'highly dangerous' prisoner. On 13 October, 1944, Noor was beaten and then shot to death in the infamous Dachau concentration camp. You can read her full story here but do try to catch the documentary (by the BBC) being telecast in India on the Fox History & Entertainment channel. Incidentally, the documentary has a personal touch as it features her sister's son visiting the places where she lived, operated from and finally breathed her last. Two things that really struck me: a) When the underground network collapsed, HQ offered her a safe passage home. She refused. b) She was provided a pistol but left it behind in England as she did not believe in killing anyone, even in self defence. Noor Inayat Khan's story deserves to be in our history books. I am sure one of these days a Bollywood film will be made on her life and although what we see on screen will be a masala version I think it's okay. Her spirit is beautiful enough to shine through.
Albert Goering, a German businessman who died in obscurity in 1966, is said to have saved hundreds of Jews and political dissidents during the Second World War
