People Who Helped the Jews During the Holocaust

Contents

Introduction

Irena Sendler

Chiune Sugihara

Aristadies de Sousa Mendes

Raoul Wallenberg

Lois Gunden

Sofka Skipwith

Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz

Resources

Conclusion

Introduction

During the Holocaust millions of Jews had to hide and sometimes even leave their home to stay safe from the Nazi. From men, to women, to children, their lives were at stake, and needed to be rescued. Some very kind, and brave humans risked their lives to save the Jews. It’s amazing what these people did to help those in need. In this presentation we will look at seven examples of people who helped the Jews during the holocaust.

Irena Sendler

Irena Sendler saved 25,000 children and babies from the Warsaw Ghetto.

She was a social worker, so she was allowed to go into the ghetto and check for signs of typhus.

She smuggled the children onto trollies, suitcases and boxes.

She smuggled the babies by putting them in boxes and making them look like packages, or she put them inside ambulances.

Chiune Sugihara

Chiune Sugihara helped about 6,000 Jews.

He spent 18-20 hours each day writing visas, so that way the Jews could legally leave.

The Nazi Party agreed to let the Jews Leave as long as he paid five times more for the train ticket.

As the train would leave the station, he would throw visas out the window so that way some more Jews could leave and be safe.

Aristadies de Sousa Mendes

Aristadies de Sousa Mendes went against the orders his government had given him, but as a result he saved 12,000 Jews.

In 1939 he started making visas illegally, in 1940 he sent out all of the visas to Jews, and personally went to cross them over the boarder.

The government found out what her was doing as they asked him to go back to Portugal. But on his way, he gave passports to Jews that were on their way to concentration camps.

Raoul Wallenberg

Raoul Wallenberg saved an estimated amount of 100,000 people from the Nazis, thousands of them being Jews.

He gave them fake passports, which looked official but sometimes had to bribe the authorities.

He rented 32 buildings which housed all of the people that he rescued. In front of the buildings he would but the Swedish flag to make it look less suspicious.

Mr. Wallenberg slept in a different home every night, so that way it would be less likely for someone to track him.

Lois Gunden

Lois worked a children‘s home. Where they smuggled children from Spain, and also Jewish children.

While in Rivesaltes she begged a mother to give her the child, she convinced her that he would be safer with her.

The child, and other Jewish children lived with her in her home. On one occasion the police came 3 times to look for the children.

But Lois said that “Lois prayed for wisdom and guidance and for the safety of the three children”, the police never came again.

Sofka Skipwith

Sofka Skipwith was a Russian princess. She saw all of the horrible things that was happening to the Jews and decided to help them.

She gave them fake passports from Latin America, and helped tried to help them as much as possible.

Unfortunately, the authorities figured out the passports were invalid and they had to take them to a concentration camp.

Mrs. Skipwith was able to save a newborn baby from going to the camp, and raised the child as her own.

Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz

Even though Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz was part of the Nazi Party, he helped save almost 99% of the Jews from Denmark.

He told the Prime Minister of Sweden about his plan, and he agreed to it. In two months he shipped the Jewish people to Sweden.

He saved 6,000 Jews. Once they got to Sweden he returned to his job and continued without telling anyone about his brave act.

Conclusion

How amazing it was to take a journey through history. We got to see seven different examples of brave men and women who risked their lives to save the Jewish people. With just these seven individuals, an estimated 149,000 Jews where saved. Not to mention the non-Jews that they rescued as well. What great examples of kindness and equality. No one deserves to be treated the way the Jews were treated.

Resources

“10 People Who Saved Jews During World Ware Two.” Listverse, 14 June 2014, http://listverse.com/2008/11/06/10-people-who-saved-jews-during-world-war-two/

“"Women of Valor".” Stories of Women Who Rescued Jews During the Holocaust - Righteous Among the Nations - Yad Vashem, www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/righteous-women/index.asp

“10 People Who Bravely Saved Jews in WWII.” The List Love, www.thelistlove.com/10-people-who-bravely-saved-jews-in-wwii/#