Amid the holiday season, the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) is sending more than $300,000 to Christian rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust living in Poland.
The financial assistance includes $2,550 for each of the 110 Polish Righteous Gentiles that JFR supports. The award will go towards the purchase of food and other needed items, such as medications and home-heating fuel, during the Christmas holiday. This marks the largest individual awards that JFR has made in its 30-year history.
It also sent $10,000 to the Anne Frank Fonds in Basel, Switzerland. The grant will enable the Anne Frank Fonds to send needed prescription medication to Polish rescuers. A separate grant of $5,000 was made to the kosher food pantry in Warsaw for the distribution of food parcels to Righteous Gentiles living in Warsaw.
JFR also makes home visits to Holocaust rescuers ahead of the holidays, which will not be possible this season due to coronavirus restrictions.
As the pandemic continues to threaten the population, JFR executive vice president Stanlee Stahl, under the guidance of chairman Harvey Schulweis and president Roman Kent, made the decision to provide increased fiscal and emotional support to rescuers this year. The gifts demonstrate the JFR’s continued commitment to helping Righteous Gentiles, no matter the circumstance.
“Poland is home to the majority of Righteous Gentiles, which the JFR supports on a monthly basis,” said Stahl. “As the holidays approach, we wanted to make the season special for them, especially during this difficult and challenging time when many of these rescuers are facing hardship and isolation due to COVID-19. This financial assistance is just one of the many ways we can repay our boundless gratitude for all that they did to save Jews during the Holocaust.”