(Jerusalem, June 23, 2020)—The B’nai B’rith World Center and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers During the Holocaust announced that they will bestow their joint Jewish Rescuers Citation on 16 nominees, all but two posthumously.  
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Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center, said, “B’nai B’rith is honored to bring to light the phenomena of Jewish rescue and the instructive stories of thousands of Jews who risked their lives to save their endangered brethren throughout Europe. Many who could have tried to flee preferred to stay and rescue others; some paid for it with their lives. With great heroism, Jews in every country in occupied Europe employed subterfuge, forgery, smuggling, concealment and other methods to ensure that Jews survived the Holocaust, or assisted them in escaping to a safe heaven, and in doing so foiled the Nazi goal of total genocide against the Jews. They are role models of Jewish solidarity and courage.” 

Recipients of the citation are:

1. Fred Șaraga (1891-1961) – A leader of the Jewish community of Romania who led rescue missions to Transnistria,, negotiating the release of some 2,000 orphans from life-threatening conditions.
2. Yitzhak Artzi (1920-2003) – – A leader of the Zionist Federation in Romania who participated with Fred Saraga in a mission to Transnistria and the rescue of Jewish children.
3. Beate Berger (1886-1940) – Founder of a boarding school for orphans and abandoned children in Germany. Recognized the danger posed by the Nazi regime and brought all 300 children at the boarding school to pre-state Israel.
4. Vladka Meed (1921-2012) – Arranged hiding places for Jews who escaped from the ghetto in Poland, mostly women and children, and smuggled weapons and documents.
5. Rabbi Itzack Cassuto – Rabbi in Larisa, Greece. Warned his community to escape the city. Some 950 Jews escaped and 255 Jews were arrested. He remained but refused to compile a list of members of the community for the Germans.
6. Jacob Gutfrajnd (1909–1991) – Established the first Jewish partisans group in Brussels, targeting Jewish collaborators and informers and destroying Jewish community records to prevent their discovery and deportation.
7. Sara Gutfrajnd (1909-1993) – A member of Committee for the Defense of Jews (CDJ) in Belgium. She smuggled weapons, placed Jewish children in monasteries and Christian homes and furnished false documents, money and food.
8. David Liwer (1903-1968) – Leader of a resistance group in Bedzin, Poland. Hid Jews in his home and helped many escape from the ghetto. Provided passports from Latin American countries to members of the Zionist movements that aided in their rescue. Fled with his family to Budapest, where he became active in the Zionist movement.    
9. Yosef Givon (1923-1968) – Smuggled food and medications to Jews from a hospital storeroom where he worked and led Jews incarcerated in the hospital to safety.
10. Shulamit Roitman Einhorn (1924-2020) –Member of the Jewish Resistance in France. Aided families in hiding and provided them with falsified documents.
11. Leon Roitman (1925-1993) – Member of the “Jewish Army.” Only 16 years old, he rescued children detained in the camps and transported Jews to the south of France. Recruited by Dr. Eitan Guinat, he worked in the lab to falsify documents and recruited others to work there.
12. Jack Roitman (1922-1988) – Member of the Jewish Resistance and Jewish Army in France. Transported Jews across the border to Spain.
13. Arthur Einhorn (1923- ) – Member of the Youth Zionist Movement of the Jewish Resistance in France. Smuggled Jews across the border to Spain, falsifiedand distributed documents and helped locate hiding places for Jews in villages in the area. Lives in Washington D.C.,.
14. Erna Einhorn (1929-2007) – Sister of Shulamit and Arthur Einhorn, she was a member of the Jewish Resistance in France. Einhorn falsified and issued documents and provided food to families in hiding.
15. Oscar Neuman (1894-1981) – Leader of the Zionist Movement in Slovakia. Founded the “Working Group” that disseminated information about the massacre of Jews in death camps; established three work camps where 4,000 Jews were employed, saving them from deportation to death camps; bribed German officers and clerks to prevent deportations; and aided the escape of 12,000 Jews to Hungary.
16. Hetty Verolme (1930 – ) – At age 14, served as a “little mother” for children in Bergen Belsen. She stole food and hid it in her coat, risking her life to help the children survive until liberation. Lives in Perth, Australia.

The Jewish Rescuers Citation was established in 2011 in an effort to help correct the generally held misconception that Jews failed to come to the aid of fellow Jews during the Holocaust. To date, 330 heroes have been honored for their rescue activities in Germany, France, Hungary, Greece, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, Russia, Lithuania, Poland, Holland, Italy, Morocco, Romania, Belgium, Ukraine, Latvia and Austria.

The B’nai B’rith World Center and  the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers During the Holocaust published a book on Jews rescuing Jews which you can find here. Additional information published by Yad Vashem is available on Yad Vashem website Hebrew and English.

For more information please contact: Alan Schneider, Director, B’nai B’rith World Center aschneider@bnaibrith.org 
B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org