The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous said that it is distributing $380,000 this holiday season—the most it has given to date around Christmas time—to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
The recipients live in 10 countries, according to the foundation, which says that it has given $46 million to some 3,600 people in more than 34 countries.
The countries are Australia, Belarus, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Ukraine.
“Each of these Righteous Gentiles is a hero who confronted their mortality to save their Jewish neighbors from Nazi persecution during the Holocaust,” stated Stanlee Stahl, executive vice president of the foundation.
“As they continue to age and many face hardship and isolation, we hope that this special award allows them to make this holiday season memorable for them and their families while the ongoing financial support we provide helps them to pay for their critical needs,” Stahl said.
“Our support is just one of the many ways we can repay our boundless gratitude for all that they did in risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust,” Stahl added.
This holiday season, the foundation said that it gave $4,000 to each rescuer, above the usual $2,000 that it gives each one between September and December. “The awards mark the largest individual holiday disbursement per rescuer that the JFR has sent in its 30-year history,” it said.
