Yad Vashem honors Passaic woman for saving ‘an entire world’

In 1963, the government of Israel established an independent public commission chaired by Israeli Supreme Court Justice Moshe Landau charged with defining criteria and deciding eligibility for the title of Righteous Among the Nations – non-Jews who risked their lives or liberty to save Jews during the Holocaust. Candidates for the honor – the highest awarded non-Jews by the State of Israel – must be nominated through applications filed usually by survivors, family members, or witnesses. When the documentation required with the application clearly demonstrates that the nominee risked his or her life, freedom, and safety to rescue one or several Jews from the threat of death or deportation without exacting monetary compensation or other rewards, the special committee makes a determination. The criteria apply equally to rescuers who have since died. In order to nominate a person for the title, the Department of the Righteous requires:

“¢ Signed and notarized testimonies by survivor[s] and other witnesses of the rescue attempt.

“¢ Testimonies should include all known personal data on rescuers and survivors, a detailed account of the rescue attempt and the danger to the rescuers, as well as any other details that shed light on the nature of rescue.

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“¢ Testimonies can be written in Hebrew or any European language.

To request an application, or to submit information or documentation about a rescue event, write the Righteous Among the Nations Department, Yad Vashem, POB 3477, Jerusalem, Israel, 91034; telephone 972-2-644-3520; fax 972-2-644-3743; or e-mail righteous.nations@yadvashem.org.il