Polish Righteous Among The Nations
Polish citizens have the world's highest count of individuals awarded medals and the status of Righteous Among the Nations, given by the State of Israel to non-Jews who saved Jews from extermination during the Holocaust. There are 6,394 (as of 1 January 2013 (2013-01-01)) Polish men and women recognized as "Righteous" to this day, amounting to over 25 percent of the total number of 24,811 honorary titles awarded already.
It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Poles concealed and aided hundreds of thousands of their Polish-Jewish neighbors. Many of these initiatives were carried out by individuals, but there also existed organized networks of Polish resistance who was dedicated to aiding Jews – most notably, the Żegota organization.
In German-occupied Poland the task of rescuing Jews was especially difficult and dangerous. All household members were punished by death if a Jew was found concealed in their home or on their property. One study estimates of the number of Poles who were killed by the Nazis for aiding Jews, among them 704 posthumously honored with medals, as high as tens of thousands.
Further information: Rescue of Jews by Poles during the Holocaust and The Holocaust in PolandRead more about Polish Righteous Among The Nations: Activities, Risk, Numbers, Misconception, Notable Persons, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words polish, righteous and/or nations:
“It is the art of mankind to polish the world, and every one who works is scrubbing in some part.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise; why shouldest thou destroy thyself? Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?”
—Bible: Hebrew Ecclesiastes, 7:16-17.
“I’ve noticed that the children of other nations always seem precocious. That’s because the strange manners of their elders have caught our attention most and the children echo those manners enough to seem like their parents.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)