WEST ORANGE, NJ — Just in time for Christmas, the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, which is based in West Orange, sent $350,000 to 120 Righteous Gentile rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust.
The foundation provides financial stipends for aged and needy Righteous Gentiles, helping to repay a debt of gratitude on behalf of the Jewish people for these individuals’ heroism. Since its founding, the JFR has provided more than $42 million to an estimated 2,500 rescuers in more than 34 countries.
The funds include $3,000 to each of 120 rescuers along with their usual $1,000 quarterly award, marking one the largest individual holiday disbursements the JFR has sent in its more than 30-year history. These 120 rescuers live in Australia, Belarus, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States.
“Each of these Righteous Gentiles is a hero who confronted their own mortality in order to save their Jewish neighbors from Nazi persecution,” JFR Executive Vice President Stanlee Stahl said. “We want this holiday season to be memorable for them, as in their old age, many are facing hardship and isolation. This financial assistance to help them buy food, medicine and pay the heating bills 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.”
For more information, visit jfr.org.
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