The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) gave a special Christmas gift of $515,000 to 156 Righteous Gentiles, which will be used for food, medicine, and other essentials.
Righteous Gentiles are non-Jews who helped the Jewish population in several countries stay alive during the Holocaust. Today, these rescuers live in 14 different countries.
From the total funds, nearly $60,000 was given to rescuers in Ukraine, more than $56,000 was given to those in Lithuania, and $294,000 was presented to rescuers in Poland.
The organization noted this is the largest, individual Christmas holiday award sent to Holocaust rescuers in its history.
Since September, $125,000 has been distributed monthly to the Righteous Gentiles, which will continue until the end of December 2021. Each person that JFR supports will also receive an additional $2,500.
“Each of these Righteous Gentiles is a hero who, when faced with adversity, risked their lives and those of their families to save their Jewish neighbors, friends, and strangers, from the Nazis and their collaborators,” JFR Executive Vice President Stanlee Stahl.
“As the holidays approach, we wanted to make the season special for them, especially during this difficult and challenging time when many of these rescuers are facing hardship and isolation due to COVID-19. This financial assistance 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,” he added.
Since its founding, the JFR has provided more than $42 million to an estimated 2,500 rescuers in more than 34 countries, helping to repay a debt of gratitude on behalf of the Jewish people for their heroism.
In addition to providing help for Righteous Gentiles, JFR supports its Holocaust teacher education program.
For more information, visit https://jfr.org/.
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