TO COMMEMORATE INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY, THE CLAIMS CONFERENCE LAUNCHES NEW INNOVATIVE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

#DONTBEABYSTANDER - Seite 2

#DontBeABystander offers a unique perspective in Holocaust education – highlighting those individuals who put morality and humanity ahead of personal preservation. This lens has not been widely explored in the context of Holocaust education or on social media for a mainstream audience. As is the case with Holocaust survivors, the Righteous Among the Nations population is waning, and time is of the essence to hear their first-hand accounts. [Please visit DontBeABystander.org to see videos.]

Greg Schneider, Executive Vice President of the Claims Conference: "Whomsoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe is inscribed on the medals awarded by Yad Vashem to Righteous Among the Nations. Though not literal, the concept is not difficult to imagine; if a teenager was saved by a Righteous rescuer, we can look at that child's family tree and see the subsequent generations with its branches intact – children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Without these rescuers, refusing to be a bystander, they acted and saved the lives of Jews, otherwise this family tree could not exist."

Throughout this new social media campaign, individuals awarded the title Righteous rescuers from around the world share what compelled them to save Jewish neighbors, friends, entire families and even strangers. As they look back more than 75 years; how do they recall their acts? What did their families think of their actions? Did they keep in touch with the people they saved? Did these brave endeavors impact their lives in an ongoing manner? Would they risk it all again? 

Dani Dayan, Yad Vashem Chairman: "Yad Vashem's mission has always been, and continues to be, to perpetuate the memory of the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. Yet from its inception, Yad Vashem has also been dedicated to recognizing the bravery and selflessness of non-Jewish individuals who stood up in the face of the absolute evil that swept across much of Europe and areas of North Africa, and protected Jews at a time when hostility and indifference prevailed. This project of the Claims Conference highlights a few of the some 28,000 Righteous Among the Nations recognized so far by Yad Vashem who are still alive today."