Yad Vashem - The Righteous Among the Nations

Last Updated: Friday, September 15, 2017

The Yad Vashem museum in Israel, founded in 1953, honors both Holocaust martyrs and "the Righteous Among the Nations," Gentile (non-Jewish) rescuers who have been recognized for their "compassion, courage and morality" because they "risked their lives to save the lives of Jews." Poland ranks first among 40 nations with 6,266 men and women, almost one-third of the total, despite the fact that only in Poland were citizens (and their loved ones) immediately executed if caught trying to save Jews.

Many prominent Jews and their families owe their lives to these brave but rarely acknowledged people. For example, Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith/USA, was saved by a Polish Catholic nanny who had him baptized as a Catholic and began raising him as her son in order to save him. - Edward Lucaire Righteous Among the Nations - per Country & Ethnic Origin January 1, 2011

These figures are not necessarily an indication of the actual number of rescuers in each country, but reflect the cases that were made available to Yad Vashem.
Albania69
Armenia19
Austria88
Belarus555
Belgium1,584
Bosnia40
Brazil2
Bulgaria19
Chile1
China2
Croatia102
Czech Republic108
Denmark*22
El Salvador1
Estonia3
France3,331
Georgia1
Germany495
Grt Britain - Inc. Scotland14
Greece307
Hungary764
Italy498
Japan1
Latvia129
Lithuania800
Luxembourg1
Macedonia10
Moldova79
Montenegro1
Netherlands**5,108
Norway47
Poland6,266
Portugal2
Romania60
Russia173
Serbia131
Slovakia522
Slovenia6
Spain4
Sweden10
Switzerland45
Turkey1
Ukraine2,363
USA3
Vietnam1
Total: 23,788


* The Danish Underground requested that all its members who participated in the rescue of the Jewish community not be listed individually, but commemorated as one group.

** Includes two persons originally from Indonesia, but residing in the Netherlands.


Source: http://www.yadvashem.org.il/righteous/index_righteous.htm