Non-Jewish Heroes Who Made The Difference During The Holocaust

People from all walks of life were persecuted by the Nazi regime. At the same time, people of different origins and beliefs helped Jews and other victims of the Holocaust escape. Here are some of the famous non-Jews who made the difference during World War 2.

Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist. While part of the Nazi party, he saved the lives of 1,200 Jews by employing them in his factories. Initially, it was just an opportunity for profit. As he realized what was happening, it became a matter of dedication.

To keep his workers safe, he had to bribe Nazi officials on a regular basis. He spent most of his fortune on bribes and supplies for his workers. After the war, he was financially supported by Jews he helped before. He was the only member of the Nazi party to be buried on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, Israel.

Irena Stanisława Sendler was a Polish nurse and social worker who became famous for helping around 2,500 Jewish children get out of the Warsaw Ghetto. Soon after the German invasion, she and her colleagues obtained grants and passes to help Jews segregated in the ghetto.

She helped children passed by parents over walls or through sewers to escape and survive. Children were also hidden with dirty laundry or packed into boxes and briefcases. They were given new documents to start new lives.

Despite being arrested and sentenced to death, her execution never happened. She kept all the children’s details on cigarette papers in glass jars, hoping to reunite everyone one day. Nazis never found these details. Irena Stanisława Sendler passed away in 2008.

Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat, businessman and architect who saved up to 100,000 Jews during World War 2, yet the exact number is unknown. He served as the special envoy for Sweden in Hungary in 1944.

During this time, he issued protective passports to Jews trying to escape deportations. At the same time, he sheltered Jews in many buildings declared as Swedish territory. He disappeared in 1945. There are more reports about his potential death, some of them claiming he was killed by Soviet forces.

Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat serving in Lithuania as a vice-consul. He saved between 4,500 and 6,800 Jews during the Holocaust. Most of them were refugees from Poland and Lithuania. Today, the descendants of the people he saved count between 40,000 and 100,000 people.

Chiune Sugihara issued transit visa to Jews in danger. They were then allowed to travel through Japanese territories to safer places. He risked both his career and life. He passed away in 1986. In an interview with one of the people he saved, he said he helped people because he had pity on them.

Jeanne Daman

Jeanne Daman was a young Belgian teacher when World War 2 started. She was asked to join a new team of teachers after the Jewish community was banned from attending public schools and other institutions. Soon after that, she became part of the resistance movement.

She helped children by taking them to shelters. She also helped Jewish women work as maids in Belgian homes by issuing them fake documents. Meanwhile, Jeanne Daman also kept them informed where their children were. She passed away in 1986.

André And Magnda Trocmé

André and Magnda Trocmé were a French couple who helped thousands of refugees, including 5,000 Jews. André Trocmé was a Protestant pastor in an isolated community, mainly because the local church didn’t agree with his ideas.

During World War 2, André and Magnda Trocmé joined a group that organized the rescue of different categories of victims. Some of them hid in the church, others were assigned to designated safe houses. The group often hanged around local train stations to save Jews prior to their deportation.

Schools were also ready to enrol more children than ever, usually under false names.

Dimitar Yosifov Peshev

Dimitar Yosifov Peshev was a Bulgarian politician who opposed Nazi politics and prevented the deportation of 48,000 Jews. He’s considered the one responsible for saving most of Bulgaria’s Jewish community.

A good friend of the local Jewish community, Dimitar Yosifov Peshev didn’t believe the initial rumours that Jews were about to be deported. After he realized it was true, he managed to convince the interior minister to halt the order. Some Jews still got deported, especially from Bulgarian occupied territories.

Jan Żabiński And Antonina Żabińska

Jan Żabiński and Antonina Żabińska were a Polish couple responsible for saving 300 Jews during World War 2. Jan Żabiński was the director of the Warsaw Zoo, but he also held a few other prestigious positions.

Together with their son Ryszard, Jan Żabiński and Antonina Żabińska hid Jews in their own house, but also in the zoo. People were hidden in tunnels and animal cages to avoid deportation. Jan Żabiński also fought during the Warsaw Uprising, but he became a prisoner.

Aristides De Sousa Mendes Do Amaral E Abranches

Aristides de Sousa Mendes do Amaral e Abranches was a Portuguese diplomat known for saving 30,000 prisoners. About 10,000 of them were Jewish. As a consul-general in France, he ignored orders from his superiors and issued passports and visas to those fleeing France after the German invasion.

He was punished by the regime and suspended for a year. Eventually, this punishment forced him to retire. Aristides de Sousa Mendes do Amaral e Abranches was the first diplomat to be recognized by Israel as one of the Righteous Among the Nations. He passed away in 1954.

Tibor Baranski

Often known as the Hungarian Schindler, Tibor Baranski was a Hungarian man who saved around 3,000 Jews during the Holocaust. It all started when he got in touch with Vatican’s representative in Hungary, Angelo Rotta. He persuaded him for papers to allow a Jewish family to escape. His dedication convinced Angelo Rotta to work with him and save other Jews. Altogether, he managed to rescue about 3,000 Jews in just nine weeks. He was arrested a few times and even walked a Soviet march of 160 miles. He passed away in 2019.