The Righteous: Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust – Gilbert Martin – CoLibri – 2026 – ISBN 978-5-389-26816-6
The Righteous: Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust
29.99 €
In stock
The Righteous: Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust
29.99 €
According to Jewish tradition, "whoever saves one life saves the entire world." Renowned historian Sir Martin Gilbert recounts the bravery of those who, both in Germany and throughout the occupied territories—from Norway to Greece, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Baltic Sea—took incredible risks to help Jews who were doomed without such assistance. These are the stories of those officially recognized by the State of Israel as Righteous Among the Nations.
Industrialist Oskar Schindler, who saved his workers; Greek Princess Alice, who hid Jews directly across from the Gestapo headquarters; Bosnian Muslims; and British prisoners of war—many risked their lives, and some paid with them, to help sometimes complete strangers. How did professional thieves organize a hideout for dozens of fugitives in the labyrinthine sewers of Lviv? What compelled the people of Albania to unite and, using an ancient code of honor, save every single Jew in the country? Why did simple peasants share their meager rations with strangers, fully aware that their neighbors could report them at any moment? This is poignant documentary evidence that even in the midst of catastrophe, a person is capable of the highest acts of mercy.
"Many of the Jews who managed to survive the Nazi occupation of Europe from 1939 to 1945 owed their salvation to non-Jews. The punishment for helping Jews was often death, especially in Eastern Europe. Hundreds of non-Jews were executed. Hostile neighbors, whose vigilance was no less dangerous than Gestapo surveillance, often betrayed both those in hiding and their rescuers. As of early 2002, 57 years after the end of the war in Europe, more than 19,000 non-Jews had been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. Subsequently, more than 800 non-Jewish righteous people were identified annually. If each Righteous Person were given at least one page in a book, it would take fifty books of the same size as this one to tell about them all” (Martin Gilbert).
Industrialist Oskar Schindler, who saved his workers; Greek Princess Alice, who hid Jews directly across from the Gestapo headquarters; Bosnian Muslims; and British prisoners of war—many risked their lives, and some paid with them, to help sometimes complete strangers. How did professional thieves organize a hideout for dozens of fugitives in the labyrinthine sewers of Lviv? What compelled the people of Albania to unite and, using an ancient code of honor, save every single Jew in the country? Why did simple peasants share their meager rations with strangers, fully aware that their neighbors could report them at any moment? This is poignant documentary evidence that even in the midst of catastrophe, a person is capable of the highest acts of mercy.
"Many of the Jews who managed to survive the Nazi occupation of Europe from 1939 to 1945 owed their salvation to non-Jews. The punishment for helping Jews was often death, especially in Eastern Europe. Hundreds of non-Jews were executed. Hostile neighbors, whose vigilance was no less dangerous than Gestapo surveillance, often betrayed both those in hiding and their rescuers. As of early 2002, 57 years after the end of the war in Europe, more than 19,000 non-Jews had been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. Subsequently, more than 800 non-Jewish righteous people were identified annually. If each Righteous Person were given at least one page in a book, it would take fifty books of the same size as this one to tell about them all” (Martin Gilbert).
See also:
- All books by the publisher
- All books by the author
- All books in the series History of wars and military art