Righteous Among the Nations
After the World War II, the term Righteous Among the Nations (Transliterated Hebrew language: Khasiday Umot Olam) has been used to describe non-Jews who behaved heroically during the Holocaust (ha-Shoah) in order to save Jews from the Nazi genocide.
Background
Righteous gentiles or Righteous Among the Nations is a term originally used in Jewish tradition to deal with the concept of non-Jews who were good God-fearing people. By Jewish tradition, the large set of laws and precepts contained in the Torah, as well as the Mishnah, Gemara, and oral tradition, are only required of Jews, who are regarded as having inherited the obligation from their ancestors who volunteered for the duty. In contrast, non-Jews merely have to follow a simple and relatively obvious, almost universally accepted set of Noahide Laws; for instance prohibiting murder, or the eating of a live animal.
Judaism teaches that "if a person destroys a life, it is as if he destroyed an entire world. If a person saves a life, it is as if he saved an entire world." (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, 37a. See also )
Modern meaning
Since 1963, a commission headed by an Israeli Supreme Court justice has been charged with the duty of awarding the honorary title Righteous Among the Nations. The commission is guided in its work by certain criteria and meticulously studies all pertinent documentation, including evidence by survivors and other eyewitnesses.
Honors
A person recognized as a Righteous Among the Nations is awarded a specially minted medal bearing his or her name, a certificate of honor, and the privilege of his or her name being added to those on the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the Israeli Holocaust Memorial. (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 in moving ceremonies in Israel or in their countries of residence through the good offices of Israel's diplomatic representatives. These ceremonies are attended by local government representatives and are given wide media coverage.
The Yad Vashem Law authorizes Yad Vashem
- "to confer honorary citizenship upon the Righteous Among the Nations, and if they have passed away, the commemorative citizenship of the State of Israel, in recognition of their actions."
Anyone who has been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations is entitled to apply to Yad Vashem for the certificate. If the Righteous Among the Nations is no longer alive, his or her next of kin are entitled to request that commemorative citizenship be conferred on the Righteous Among the Nations who has passed away. To date, 20,205 men and women, including family members who shared in the rescue of Jews, have been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, representing over 8,000 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 solid evidence that meets the criteria. Poland: 5,800
Total Persons: 20,205 (As of January 1, 2004)
¹ As per their request, the members of the Danish Underground who participated in the rescue of the Jewish Community are listed as one group.
See also
