Poles honoured by Israel for helping Jews meet in Warsaw

A large group of Poles honoured by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations met in Warsaw on Sunday in what was the first such gathering since World War II.

The meeting, which was held at Warsaw’s Museum of the History of Polish Jews, was attended by about 70 individuals who risked their own lives and those of their families during WW II to save Jews from the Holocaust.

Jan Kasprzyk, acting head of Poland’s Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression, noted during the meeting that any kind of assistance offered to Jews in German-occupied Poland during the war was punishable by death.

Anna Azari, Israel’s ambassador to Poland, called the group "the light pointing the way" and "the moral compass for other people," including "those who lost their dignity in those terrible times of war."

"You, Righteous, are the living proof that there is good in the world and that together we can overcome evil," Azari said.

Righteous Among the Nations is a designation given by Israel’s Yad Vashem Institute to gentiles who risked their own lives and those of their loved ones to rescue Jews from the Holocaust during WW II.

As of January, there were 26,120 Righteous Among the Nations worldwide. Poles formed the largest group among them, at 6,620. (PAP)

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