Yad Vashem
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(Originally posted on July 25, 2023 on Dr Helmy’s 122 birthday) When you opened your Google page today, you would have seen a doodle celebrating the 122nd birthday of the birthday of Dr Mohamed Helmy. Before I go into the important story of this great man, I want to highlight a disturbing trend that is…
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It is important to tell the stories of those who collaborated with the Nazis. Regardless of what some governments want you to believe, there were collaborators in all occupied countries. Some were even more evil than the occupiers. However, it is equally important to honour those who helped their fellow citizens, often at risk of…
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An Iranian official risking his life to save Jews? This scenario, while unlikely nowadays, actually happened during the Holocaust. Abdol Hossein Sardari, often hailed as the “Iranian Schindler,” disagrees with that title; he was Sardari, and Schindler was Schindler; comparing the two men takes away from what they both did. Sardari was a notable Iranian…
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Giorgio Perlasca (January 31, 1910 – August 15, 1992) was an Italian businessman who became one of the great, unsung heroes of World War II for his remarkable efforts to save thousands of Jews from the Holocaust in Hungary. Despite his early association with fascism, Perlasca’s story is one of a profound moral transformation, culminating…
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Nowadays, Amsterdam is known around the world for several distinctive features, most notably its famous Red Light District. This area is known for its legalised prostitution and its concentration of sex-related businesses, including sex shops, sex theatres, peep shows, and a sex museum. It also features a cannabis museum and numerous coffee shops where cannabis…
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Bert Jan Flim, a noted Dutch historian who has researched the rescue of Jewish children during the Holocaust in the Netherlands. His father and paternal grandparents were recipients of the Righteous Among the Nations award for their part in rescuing Jews during the Holocaust. Herman Flim, a baker from Nijverdal. During World War II, Herman…
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There were three groups of people in the Holocaust: The criminals who tortured and murdered; The victims murdered; and those who survived and were scarred for life—mentally and physically. The helpers were the people who helped the Jews and others to escape and survive. These are just examples of each group. The Criminal Hildegard Lachert…
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The Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup (the Vélodrome d’Hiver roundup), known in French as “Rafle du Vel’ d’Hiv,” was a mass arrest of Jews in Paris by the French police under the orders of the Nazi German authorities during World War II. This event took place on July 16 and 17, 1942, and is one of the…
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Before sharing the story of Frits Philips, I’d like to first touch on his family’s background The patriarch of the Philips family is Philip Philips, a Jewish merchant from North Rhine-Westphalia who came to the Netherlands. Little is known about him. He was married to Rebecca van Crefelt. Lion Philips (Zaltbommel, October 29, 1794 –…
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Last night, during the Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations in London, Prince William delivered a heartfelt tribute to his great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, in a moving speech. I wasn’t aware of his paternal great-grandmother’s involvement in the Holocaust. Princess Alice of Battenberg, a member of the British royal family and mother of Prince Philip, Duke…
History of Sorts 