Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #Righteous
Most recents (24)
The #Righteous during World War Two
Paul Grüninger: The Swiss Border Commander Who Falsified Documents To Save Jews
1/n
Paul Grüninger used his position to quietly help thousands of desperate refugees enter Switzerland.
Paul Grüninger: The Swiss Border Commander Who Falsified Documents To Save Jews
1/n
Paul Grüninger used his position to quietly help thousands of desperate refugees enter Switzerland.
2/n By the late 1930s, conditions in Germany and Austria had become increasingly terrifying for Jewish people. Many tried to enter Switzerland, where border commanders had been ordered to turn them away.
But one border commander, Paul Grüninger, decided to help.
But one border commander, Paul Grüninger, decided to help.
3/n Grüninger seemed an unlikely person to break rules. A former soldier and longtime policeman, he had literally made a career out of following the law. But when Swiss authorities ordered him to deny Jewish people entry into Switzerland, Grüninger quietly defied his superiors.
The #Righteous during World War Two
Egyptan Dr. Mohammed Helmy saved a Jewish family in Berlin from death in the Holocaust
1/n
Mohamed Helmy was an Egyptian doctor who lived in Berlin and hid several Jews during the Holocaust. He was honoured by Israel's Yad Vashem
Egyptan Dr. Mohammed Helmy saved a Jewish family in Berlin from death in the Holocaust
1/n
Mohamed Helmy was an Egyptian doctor who lived in Berlin and hid several Jews during the Holocaust. He was honoured by Israel's Yad Vashem
2/n Holocaust memorial as "Righteous Among the Nations" – the highest honor given to a non-Jew for risking great personal dangers to rescue Jews from the Nazis' gas chambers.
Helmy was born in 1901 in Khartoum, in what was then Egypt and is now Sudan, to an Egyptian father and a
Helmy was born in 1901 in Khartoum, in what was then Egypt and is now Sudan, to an Egyptian father and a
3/n German mother. He came to Berlin in 1922 to study medicine and worked as a urologist until 1938, when Germany banned him from the public health system because he was not considered Aryan, said Martina Voigt, the German historian, who conducted research on Helmy.
2/n Jan (Janis) Lipke had been witness to one of the actions against the Jews in the streets of Riga, the Latvian capital. He then decided to help the Jews to the best of his ability.
Johanna & Janis Lipke (seated, right) and Haim Smolianski (standing behind), Riga, postwar
Johanna & Janis Lipke (seated, right) and Haim Smolianski (standing behind), Riga, postwar
3/n Lipke, a port worker, decided to go through retraining to become a contractor for the German airforce. He used his position to smuggle Jewish workers out of the Riga area camps. Using a variety of ploys, he was able to smuggle approximately forty people and hide them in
The #Righteous amongst us
Johanna Eck
"My Duty and Responsibility"
1/n
Johanna Eck was a German war widow who, during World War II, sheltered four victims of Nazi persecution, including two Jews.
Johanna Eck’s husband was killed during World War I. One of his friends during the
Johanna Eck
"My Duty and Responsibility"
1/n
Johanna Eck was a German war widow who, during World War II, sheltered four victims of Nazi persecution, including two Jews.
Johanna Eck’s husband was killed during World War I. One of his friends during the
2/n war was a German Jew named Jakob Guttman. When the Nazis began deporting and murdering Germany’s Jews, Jakob and his family were killed. One of his sons, Heinz, was able to escape and left on the streets. None of his Gentile acquaintances would risk their lives to shelter him
3/n – except one. Johanna took the boy in and shared her meager food rations with him. Even when her house was destroyed in an air raid, Johanna found hiding places for the boy and shared food ration cards with him.
Her home destroyed, Johanna was assigned a one-room apartment.
Her home destroyed, Johanna was assigned a one-room apartment.
Rescue In A Circus
Adolf and Maria Althoff
#Righteous during World War Two
1/n
Darmstadt, Germany… Summer 1941 – Adolf Althoff and his wife, Maria, directed the well-known Althoff circus during World War II. The circus, which included
Adolf and Maria Althoff
#Righteous during World War Two
1/n
Darmstadt, Germany… Summer 1941 – Adolf Althoff and his wife, Maria, directed the well-known Althoff circus during World War II. The circus, which included
2/n approximately 90 performers, traveled throughout Europe and spent the summer of 1941 near Darmstadt. At one particular show, Irene Danner, a young Jewish acrobat from Darmstadt, was among the visitors. She was a descendant of a German-Jewish circus family. Although Adolf knew
3/n that including a Jew in the circus was prohibited, he offered Irene a position, provided her with a pseudonym and false identity papers, and essentially disguised her Jewish identity for the duration of the war. During her time in the circus, Irene fell in love with another
The #Righteous amongst us - The Plewa Family
1/n
Ruth Pardess nee Schwarz was born in 1940 in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Her parents, Guta Gripel Korngold and Henryk Ignacy Schwarz, had to hide in different places during the war.
L:.Ruth with her parents
R: Alojzy Plewa
1/n
Ruth Pardess nee Schwarz was born in 1940 in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Her parents, Guta Gripel Korngold and Henryk Ignacy Schwarz, had to hide in different places during the war.
L:.Ruth with her parents
R: Alojzy Plewa
2/n The mother went with little Ruth to Warsaw, and later to Sambor in Ukraine, where they first stayed in prison, and later – in the ghetto.
One day in 1942, Alojzy Plewa, Ruth’s father’s acquaintance from the interwar period, appeared in the ghetto. Guta asked him to take out
One day in 1942, Alojzy Plewa, Ruth’s father’s acquaintance from the interwar period, appeared in the ghetto. Guta asked him to take out
3/n her 2-year-old child with him from the ghetto. The young man agreed. Being a single man himself, he handed the little girl to his parents; and the local inhabitants were informed that this was his illegitimate child.
Antoni and Anna Plewa were farmers,
Antoni and Anna Plewa were farmers,
The #Righteous during World War Two
Jan Zwartendijk, the angel of Lithuania
A Dutch Consul saved more than 2,000 Jewish lives
1/n
One day at the end of June 1940, Isaac Lewin and his Dutch wife Pessla, both Polish Jews, knock on the door
Jan Zwartendijk, the angel of Lithuania
A Dutch Consul saved more than 2,000 Jewish lives
1/n
One day at the end of June 1940, Isaac Lewin and his Dutch wife Pessla, both Polish Jews, knock on the door
of a certain Jan Zwartendijk in the Lithuanian capital Kaunas. In addition to director of the Philips Lithuania branch, the Dutchman has recently also become deputy consul. Isaac and Pessla want to leave for fear of the advancing Nazis and Soviets. They cannot apply for a visa
for the Netherlands, because the Netherlands has also been occupied since May 1940. But Curaçao, still free territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, wouldn't that be an option? It is the beginning of an unknown exodus that would save the lives of more than 2,000 Jews.
The #Righteous amongst us
Jan Konstanski
How good neighbors overcame the flames of war
1/n
At the age of 15, Jan never looked back. He risked his life to help Jewish friends who were his neighbours in his childhood. This is another story about personal courage against all odds.
Jan Konstanski
How good neighbors overcame the flames of war
1/n
At the age of 15, Jan never looked back. He risked his life to help Jewish friends who were his neighbours in his childhood. This is another story about personal courage against all odds.
Wladyslawa Konstanska lived in Warsaw with her son and 2 daughters. In 1940, they moved to an apartment building. There they became close friends of the Wierzbicki family who were Jewish.
Jan Kostanski (left) and Jakob Wierzbicki ride in a rickshaw in the Warsaw ghetto
Jan Kostanski (left) and Jakob Wierzbicki ride in a rickshaw in the Warsaw ghetto
After the creation of the ghetto a wall separated the yard of the building and left the Wierzbicki family inside the walls of the ghetto
Helped by his mother, Jan began smuggling food into the ghetto to help his friends. He faced a lot of danger in order to keep in touch with the
Helped by his mother, Jan began smuggling food into the ghetto to help his friends. He faced a lot of danger in order to keep in touch with the
The #Righteous during World War Two
Rome: The Doctors At Fatebenefratelli Hospital Who Invented “Syndrome K”
In October 1943, a terrifying new disease suddenly appeared in Nazi-occupied Rome. Italian doctors claimed that the so-called “Syndrome K” was highly
Rome: The Doctors At Fatebenefratelli Hospital Who Invented “Syndrome K”
In October 1943, a terrifying new disease suddenly appeared in Nazi-occupied Rome. Italian doctors claimed that the so-called “Syndrome K” was highly
contagious and dangerous. But, in fact, it was all a ruse.
A trio of doctors — Vittorio Sacerdoti, Giovanni Borromeo, and Adriano Ossicini — invented the disease to save Jews in Italy. When Jews came to Fatebenefratelli Hospital seeking a safe haven from the Nazis, the doctors
A trio of doctors — Vittorio Sacerdoti, Giovanni Borromeo, and Adriano Ossicini — invented the disease to save Jews in Italy. When Jews came to Fatebenefratelli Hospital seeking a safe haven from the Nazis, the doctors
diagnosed them with “Syndrome K” and sent them to an isolated ward.
“Syndrome K was put on patient papers to indicate that the sick person wasn’t sick at all, but Jewish,” Ossicini later explained.
Suspicious Nazis, who were terrified of getting sick, kept their distance whenever
“Syndrome K was put on patient papers to indicate that the sick person wasn’t sick at all, but Jewish,” Ossicini later explained.
Suspicious Nazis, who were terrified of getting sick, kept their distance whenever
The #Righteous during World War Two
GUSTAV SCHRÖDER:
The German Sea Captain Of The “Voyage Of The Damned”
In May 1939, the ship St. Louis set off from Hamburg en route to the Americas. But this was no normal voyage.
GUSTAV SCHRÖDER:
The German Sea Captain Of The “Voyage Of The Damned”
In May 1939, the ship St. Louis set off from Hamburg en route to the Americas. But this was no normal voyage.
The ship, packed with over 900 Jewish refugees, was a last-ditch effort for many to escape the Nazis.
Some of the families had paid hundreds of dollars (thousands in today’s money) to secure a visa from the Cuban Embassy in Berlin. And they put their trust in
Some of the families had paid hundreds of dollars (thousands in today’s money) to secure a visa from the Cuban Embassy in Berlin. And they put their trust in
Captain Gustav Schröder to get them there.
Schröder, an experienced seaman, paid special care to his Jewish passengers. He ordered his crew to treat the families with courtesy and care — a sharp contrast to the hostility toward Jews in much of Germany.
Schröder, an experienced seaman, paid special care to his Jewish passengers. He ordered his crew to treat the families with courtesy and care — a sharp contrast to the hostility toward Jews in much of Germany.
Jozef & Wiktoria Ulma risked their lives to help Jews during the #Holocaust. On 24 March 1944 the German police discovered the Jews in hiding.
The Jewish family was shot, as was the entire Ulma family - parents & 6 children. Wiktoria was 7 months pregnant.
The Jewish family was shot, as was the entire Ulma family - parents & 6 children. Wiktoria was 7 months pregnant.
March 24 - the anniversary of the murder of the Ulma family - is today in Poland the National Day of Remembrance of Poles who saved Jews during German occupiation. See this thread to learn about #Righteous linked with #Auschwitz.
The often unrecognized heroism of Belgian Nuns
1/n
Ruth Kurschner, a Holocaust survivor and educator, wrote:
Ruth wrote, “There is one group that I feel has been neglected over the years in Holocaust education: The Belgian nuns who saved the lives of so many Jewish children.”
1/n
Ruth Kurschner, a Holocaust survivor and educator, wrote:
Ruth wrote, “There is one group that I feel has been neglected over the years in Holocaust education: The Belgian nuns who saved the lives of so many Jewish children.”
She added, “I have taught about these brave women whenever I have spoken to school children, and the children have always been very impressed that these religious women dared to defy the Nazis. I personally know a high school friend who lost her entire family but who was saved by
the Belgian nuns. I cannot provide her name because it is too traumatic (even now) for her to discuss it at length. She has told her story to someone else who does speak to school children on her behalf.”
In conclusion Ruth wrote, “I would very much like to see the story about
In conclusion Ruth wrote, “I would very much like to see the story about
Thread
The #Righteous during World War Two
Leopold and Magdalena Socha
Rescue in the Sewers
1/n
Leopold Socha lived in a poor neighborhood of Lwow (Poland) and worked as a laborer for the municipal sanitation department in maintaining the sewage
The #Righteous during World War Two
Leopold and Magdalena Socha
Rescue in the Sewers
1/n
Leopold Socha lived in a poor neighborhood of Lwow (Poland) and worked as a laborer for the municipal sanitation department in maintaining the sewage
2/n system. When the Germans occupied Lwow, Socha, horrified by the Germans’ atrocities against the Jewish population, befriended Jews who had been interned in the ghetto. After he decided to rescue at least twenty of them, he co-opted Stefan Wroblewski, a Pole who worked with
3/n him in cleaning out sewage canals, into his plans. One night, as he worked in the canals during the Aktion in which the ghetto was liquidated, Socha noticed several Jews wading through the effluent. Socha allayed their fears, stopped them from heading toward the mouth of the
The #Righteous during World War Two
1/n
In 2019, a non-Jewish couple who risked their lives to help shelter Jewish filmmaker Roman Polanski during World War II have posthumously been named 'Righteous among the Nations' by Israel's World
1/n
In 2019, a non-Jewish couple who risked their lives to help shelter Jewish filmmaker Roman Polanski during World War II have posthumously been named 'Righteous among the Nations' by Israel's World
2/n Holocaust Remembrance Center.
The Buchala family was poor. They lived in a small house in the village of Wysoka, near the southern Polish city of Krakow. Dinner usually consisted of potatoes; sometimes there was milk. In late summer, there might be blueberries and mushrooms.
The Buchala family was poor. They lived in a small house in the village of Wysoka, near the southern Polish city of Krakow. Dinner usually consisted of potatoes; sometimes there was milk. In late summer, there might be blueberries and mushrooms.
3/n There were already three children to feed but Stefania and Jan did not hesitate to help the young Jewish boy
The #Righteous amongst us
1/n
Alphonse and Emilie Gonsette and their son Émile, from Gosselies north of Charleroi, are members of the Belgian resistance network MNB. Arrested by the Gestapo in 1942 with seven other students, Émile was shot dead in Charleroi.
1/n
Alphonse and Emilie Gonsette and their son Émile, from Gosselies north of Charleroi, are members of the Belgian resistance network MNB. Arrested by the Gestapo in 1942 with seven other students, Émile was shot dead in Charleroi.
2/n Although their home was under constant Gestapo surveillance, when Mademoiselle Dessent, a member of the Resistance, contacted them in 1943 to ask them to take in a two-year-old Jewish child whose mother had been arrested, they did not hesitate not for a moment.
3/n The young Simon Weissblum is a weak child, who will have to undergo two operations during the war during his stay with the Gonsettes. The surgeon who operated on him, Doctor Perçoit, refused to be paid when he learned that the child was Jewish and kept him in the hospital for
On the European Day of the Righteous, we recall the bravery and sacrifice of those who risked their own fate in order to save Jewish lives during the WWII German occupation of Europe. Some of them paid the ultimate price. These are the #Righteous that were deported to #Majdanek.
#Righteous Daniel Trocmé, a French teacher from Les Roches, who participated in the organised help to the local Jewish community by providing Jews with shelters & false identities. Arrested on 29.06.1943 he went through several camps & perished at #Majdanek on 02.04.1944.
#Righteous Tadeusz Kosibowicz, a Polish doctor ran a hospital ward in Silesia. He treated patients of all origins, including Jews hiding under false identities. One German patient reported him to the Gestapo. Deported to #Majdanek in 1941 he stayed at the camp until April 1944.
The #Righteous during World War Two
Don Gilberto Bosques, "The Mexican Schindler"
Consul of Mexico in Marseilles during the war
Don Gilberto Bosques, "The Mexican Schindler"
Consul of Mexico in Marseilles during the war
Consul Don Gilberto Bosques devoted himself tirelessly to issuing visas regardless of nationality or religious or political opinion to those targeted by the Nazis.
To grant food or legal aid, find accommodation, charter boats, provide visas and tickets to Spanish Republicans,
To grant food or legal aid, find accommodation, charter boats, provide visas and tickets to Spanish Republicans,
members of the International Brigades and political refugees of several nationalities, Gilberto Bosques had of this building the platform of his immense daily work.
It shared part of the floors with the consul of Japan which also housed ... Nazi spies.
Thousands of refugees -
It shared part of the floors with the consul of Japan which also housed ... Nazi spies.
Thousands of refugees -
Thread
The #Righteous during World War Two
During the occupation, RAOUL LAPORTERIE saved hundreds of Jews and Christians who wanted to flee the Germans by crossing into the Unoccupied Zone.
1/n
The #Righteous during World War Two
During the occupation, RAOUL LAPORTERIE saved hundreds of Jews and Christians who wanted to flee the Germans by crossing into the Unoccupied Zone.
1/n
2/n On innumerable occasions, Laporterie drove his battered car, a Juva 4, from one zone to another, bearing passengers, letters, clothes, jewelry, money, and even a bride’s dowry. Laporterie was able to make these trips because he was the mayor of Bascons, in the département of
3/n Landes in the Unoccupied Zone, and owned a store in Mont-de-Marsan, the capital of Landes, in the Occupied Zone. Because he had to commute between the two zones in the course of his work, the Germans gave him a pass to
Laporterie's Renault Juvaquatre at a checkpoint
Laporterie's Renault Juvaquatre at a checkpoint
The #Righteous amongs ud
Mikas & Elena Lukauskas
1/n
Following the "children's Aktion" of March 1944 in the Kovno ghetto, which their children miraculously survived, it was clear to Leah and Shimon Joselevich
Mikas & Elena Lukauskas
1/n
Following the "children's Aktion" of March 1944 in the Kovno ghetto, which their children miraculously survived, it was clear to Leah and Shimon Joselevich
2/n that 9-year-old Chana and 5-year-old Petya could no longer remain in the ghetto. They began to desperately search for a safe haven for their two children. An acquaintance was willing to take them for a limited time – she was already hiding the daughter of her former neighbor
3/n – and eventually handed the children to Mikas and Elena Lukauskas. The two children arrived at their rescuers' home with a letter from Leah and Shimon, thanking the unknown rescuers for accepting their children. Chana and Petya stayed with their
Leah and Shimon Joselevich
Leah and Shimon Joselevich
The #Righteous during World War Two
Egyptan Dr. Mohammed Helmy saved a Jewish family in Berlin from death in the Holocaust
1/n
Mohamed Helmy was an Egyptian doctor who lived in Berlin and hid several Jews during the Holocaust. He was honoured by Israel's Yad Vashem
Egyptan Dr. Mohammed Helmy saved a Jewish family in Berlin from death in the Holocaust
1/n
Mohamed Helmy was an Egyptian doctor who lived in Berlin and hid several Jews during the Holocaust. He was honoured by Israel's Yad Vashem
2/n Holocaust memorial as "Righteous Among the Nations" – the highest honor given to a non-Jew for risking great personal dangers to rescue Jews from the Nazis' gas chambers.
Helmy was born in 1901 in Khartoum, in what was then Egypt and is now Sudan, to an Egyptian father and a
Helmy was born in 1901 in Khartoum, in what was then Egypt and is now Sudan, to an Egyptian father and a
3/n German mother. He came to Berlin in 1922 to study medicine and worked as a urologist until 1938, when Germany banned him from the public health system because he was not considered Aryan, said Martina Voigt, the German historian, who conducted research on Helmy.
The #Righteous during World War Two
Jan Zwartendijk, the angel of Lithuania
A Dutch Consul saved more than 2,000 Jews' lives
1/n
One day at the end of June 1940, Isaac Lewin and his Dutch wife Pessla, both Polish Jews, knock on the door
Jan Zwartendijk, the angel of Lithuania
A Dutch Consul saved more than 2,000 Jews' lives
1/n
One day at the end of June 1940, Isaac Lewin and his Dutch wife Pessla, both Polish Jews, knock on the door
of a certain Jan Zwartendijk in the Lithuanian capital Kaunas. In addition to director of the Philips Lithuania branch, the Dutchman has recently also become deputy consul. Isaac and Pessla want to leave for fear of the advancing Nazis and Soviets. They cannot apply for a visa
for the Netherlands, because the Netherlands has also been occupied since May 1940. But Curaçao, still free territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, wouldn't that be an option? It is the beginning of an unknown exodus that would save the lives of more than 2,000 Jews.
The #Righteous amongst us
Johanna Eck
"My Duty and Responsibility"
1/n
Johanna Eck was a German war widow who, during World War II, sheltered four victims of Nazi persecution, including two Jews.
Johanna Eck’s husband was killed during World War I. One of his friends during the
Johanna Eck
"My Duty and Responsibility"
1/n
Johanna Eck was a German war widow who, during World War II, sheltered four victims of Nazi persecution, including two Jews.
Johanna Eck’s husband was killed during World War I. One of his friends during the
2/n war was a German Jew named Jakob Guttman. When the Nazis began deporting and murdering Germany’s Jews, Jakob and his family were killed. One of his sons, Heinz, was able to escape and left on the streets. None of his Gentile acquaintances would risk their lives to shelter him
3/n – except one. Johanna took the boy in and shared her meager food rations with him. Even when her house was destroyed in an air raid, Johanna found hiding places for the boy and shared food ration cards with him.
Her home destroyed, Johanna was assigned a one-room apartment.
Her home destroyed, Johanna was assigned a one-room apartment.
The #Righteous amongst us
Dr. Ella Lingens Righteous Among the Nations, prisoner in Auschwitz
1/n
“If I had turned my back and in doing so allowed the death of this person whom I could possibly save, I would have made the same mistake as the entire German people”
Dr. Ella Lingens Righteous Among the Nations, prisoner in Auschwitz
1/n
“If I had turned my back and in doing so allowed the death of this person whom I could possibly save, I would have made the same mistake as the entire German people”
2/n Vienna, Austria, 1938.
Dr. Ella Lingens and her husband, Dr. Kurt Lingens, were anti-fascist activists. Shortly after the Germans annexed Austria in March 1938, Ella began to help her fellow colleagues from medical school. During the Kristallnacht pogram in November 1938,
Dr. Ella Lingens and her husband, Dr. Kurt Lingens, were anti-fascist activists. Shortly after the Germans annexed Austria in March 1938, Ella began to help her fellow colleagues from medical school. During the Kristallnacht pogram in November 1938,
3/n she hid 10 Jews in her room. In 1939, the Lingens met Baron Karl von Motesiczky, a medical student whose mother was Jewish. They became friends. Baron von Motesiczky introduced Ella and Kurt to many Jewish friends and to members of the anti-Nazi resistance. From 1941 to 1942,
The #Righteous during World War Two
Don Gilberto Bosques, "The Mexican Schindler"
Consul of Mexico in Marseilles during the war
Don Gilberto Bosques, "The Mexican Schindler"
Consul of Mexico in Marseilles during the war
Consul Don Gilberto Bosques devoted himself tirelessly to issuing visas regardless of nationality or religious or political opinion to those targeted by the Nazis.
To grant food or legal aid, find accommodation, charter boats, provide visas and tickets to Spanish Republicans,
To grant food or legal aid, find accommodation, charter boats, provide visas and tickets to Spanish Republicans,
members of the International Brigades and political refugees of several nationalities, Gilberto Bosques had of this building the platform of his immense daily work.
It shared part of the floors with the consul of Japan which also housed ... Nazi spies.
Thousands of refugees -
It shared part of the floors with the consul of Japan which also housed ... Nazi spies.
Thousands of refugees -
