What do you think?
Rate this book
Heroes of the Holocaust: Ordinary Britons Who Risked Their Lives to Make a Difference
The moving stories of twenty-seven British citizens who were awarded the 'Heroes of the Holocaust' medal for their actions protecting Jews from Nazi persecution.
In March 2010, twenty-seven Britons who took matters into their own hands to protect Jews from the Nazis during one of the darkest times in human history were formally recognised as 'Heroes of the Holocaust' by the British Government. The silver medal, inscribed with the words 'In the Service of Humanity', was created to acknowledge those 'whose selfless actions preserved life in the face of persecution'.
Some, like Frank Foley, a British spy whose cover was working at the British embassy in Berlin, took huge risks issuing forged visas to enable around 10,000 Jews to escape Germany before the outbreak of war. Others, like the ten British POWs who hid and cared for Hannah Sarah Rigler as she escaped from a death march, showed great humanity in the face of horrendous cruelty and suffering. All the recipients of the award were ordinary people, acting on no one's authority but their own, who found they could not stand idly by in the face of this great evil. Heroes of the Holocaust collects for the first time the remarkable stories of the recipients of the medal. Written by acclaimed Holocaust historian Lyn Smith, it is a moving testament to the bravery of those whose inspiring actions stand out in stark relief at a time of such horror.
In March 2010, twenty-seven Britons who took matters into their own hands to protect Jews from the Nazis during one of the darkest times in human history were formally recognised as 'Heroes of the Holocaust' by the British Government. The silver medal, inscribed with the words 'In the Service of Humanity', was created to acknowledge those 'whose selfless actions preserved life in the face of persecution'.
Some, like Frank Foley, a British spy whose cover was working at the British embassy in Berlin, took huge risks issuing forged visas to enable around 10,000 Jews to escape Germany before the outbreak of war. Others, like the ten British POWs who hid and cared for Hannah Sarah Rigler as she escaped from a death march, showed great humanity in the face of horrendous cruelty and suffering. All the recipients of the award were ordinary people, acting on no one's authority but their own, who found they could not stand idly by in the face of this great evil. Heroes of the Holocaust collects for the first time the remarkable stories of the recipients of the medal. Written by acclaimed Holocaust historian Lyn Smith, it is a moving testament to the bravery of those whose inspiring actions stand out in stark relief at a time of such horror.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 5, 2012
16 people are currently reading
212 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 8, 2015
Great read. Really informative without bogging you down. At times hard to read in places as any book about the Holocaust is. Would recommend to all, very powerful and inspiring stuff.
September 10, 2012
Absolutely brilliant book. The stories were divided in to categories by location and each location was given some background to help put the individual stories into some context without becoming bogged down in it.
The stories themselves were easy to read and inspirational, and while a few of the stories were known to me, most were not.
Riveting book, would thoroughly recommend.
The stories themselves were easy to read and inspirational, and while a few of the stories were known to me, most were not.
Riveting book, would thoroughly recommend.
January 15, 2020
In 2010, Britain made a very belated official recognition of the lifesaving efforts made by a small number of its citizens in the face of the Nazi killing machine.
27 Britons were named Heroes of the Holocaust and awarded medals - many posthumously - for their service to humanity during one of its darkest times. This book tells their widely varying stories, from the Berlin embassy man who went to huge lengths to ensure the pre-war exit of up to 10,000 Jewish people to safety, to the mother raising her family in Nazi-occupied Holland who sheltered a Jewish youth sent to her by the local Resistance.
By its very nature, this is not an easy read, yet it reinforces my belief that where there is evil, there is also goodness to be found. Most of all, it leaves one thinking "What would I do?"
27 Britons were named Heroes of the Holocaust and awarded medals - many posthumously - for their service to humanity during one of its darkest times. This book tells their widely varying stories, from the Berlin embassy man who went to huge lengths to ensure the pre-war exit of up to 10,000 Jewish people to safety, to the mother raising her family in Nazi-occupied Holland who sheltered a Jewish youth sent to her by the local Resistance.
By its very nature, this is not an easy read, yet it reinforces my belief that where there is evil, there is also goodness to be found. Most of all, it leaves one thinking "What would I do?"
March 3, 2021
Heroes of the Holocaust is an interesting take on Holocaust non fiction. It focuses on the 27 people who were awarded a medal by the British government in 2010 for feats of bravery and heroism during the Second World War to assist victims of the Holocaust.
The book so divided into the areas of the world which these individuals operated which makes the book an easy read although it is oftentimes uncomfortable due to the subject matter.
It was a very engaging read although it felt that you barely scratched the surface of the individuals who were intensely brave in circumstances where most people did very little.
Evil triumphs when good men do nothing and these men and women did everything they possibly could. In a sense it is a honour to read about them.
The book so divided into the areas of the world which these individuals operated which makes the book an easy read although it is oftentimes uncomfortable due to the subject matter.
It was a very engaging read although it felt that you barely scratched the surface of the individuals who were intensely brave in circumstances where most people did very little.
Evil triumphs when good men do nothing and these men and women did everything they possibly could. In a sense it is a honour to read about them.
December 28, 2019
Outstanding
This is a must read book retelling graphic and detailed accounts of bravery that will leave you knowing what real hero’s achieved. A book that also reminds you of the oppressive suffering experienced by many for months and years and even to this day for those that were fortunate enough to survive.
I’m sure there must be further opportunities to identify more heroes that have been too modest to share their acts of bravery or maybe it’s been too painful to relive and share the nightmares they lived through.
This is a must read book retelling graphic and detailed accounts of bravery that will leave you knowing what real hero’s achieved. A book that also reminds you of the oppressive suffering experienced by many for months and years and even to this day for those that were fortunate enough to survive.
I’m sure there must be further opportunities to identify more heroes that have been too modest to share their acts of bravery or maybe it’s been too painful to relive and share the nightmares they lived through.
May 23, 2023
A fascinating, and at times traumatic, account of the experiences of various individuals who earned recognition for humanitarian acts during the Holocaust. I’ve read a lot about the Holocaust, but I found out new things by reading this frank account of the individuals involved.
A must read, but not for the faint hearted.
A must read, but not for the faint hearted.
February 15, 2018
Simply beautiful and amazing story
August 10, 2021
Ordinary men and women who showed incredible bravery and compassion during such dangerous times.
June 1, 2023
Incredible stories of bravery
August 29, 2023
A fascinating and sometimes harrowing read into the British Men and Women who helped the Jews to escape a life of horror and hell
December 12, 2015
This is a great collection of examples of humanity in times of trial. Those who risked livelihoods and lives to save their fellow human beings from terror, these Brits are examples of the best in humanity. It was interesting to see how people from a nation that was never invaded by ground troops but was hammered from the sky put themselves at risk for others not of their own nation.
Most of the people detailed in this book I was familiar with from reading on Righteous Gentiles before that were recognized by Yad Vashem. I liked this volume, however, as it collected people from one nation into one work and some of which were not recognized by Yad Vashem for whatever reason. These are people that were recognized by Britain with their own Heroes of the Holocaust medal.
From diplomatic halls to occupied British soil to the very bowels of Auschwitz itself, this work covers a wide range of rescue and its arenas. It shines a light on people who would have most likely stayed ordinary under regular circumstances; but with tyranny and evil taking power, they became saviors and people of incredible bravery. I think that’s why I like reading about those who rescued others during the Holocaust. It brings light to how ordinary people can make a difference and be such a bright light of humanity amongst such inhumanity.
I liked how the author presented the information as well. Nonfiction works that present their information in personal story format with each chapter being a different person’s story is something I love. It makes the information very easy to digest, each chapter being one person’s story. Not a format that works for all non-fiction, it works great for works like this, telling us about multiple people over one broad theme. It also makes it very readable, giving it readability to a wider audience and even the casual reader who might not look at a non-fiction otherwise.
I personally loved this work. It presents a lot of information in a format that makes it readable by a wide audience, reaching more people with stories that relate in the modern age and give us examples of how even the ordinary can make a difference. Definitely recommended!!
Most of the people detailed in this book I was familiar with from reading on Righteous Gentiles before that were recognized by Yad Vashem. I liked this volume, however, as it collected people from one nation into one work and some of which were not recognized by Yad Vashem for whatever reason. These are people that were recognized by Britain with their own Heroes of the Holocaust medal.
From diplomatic halls to occupied British soil to the very bowels of Auschwitz itself, this work covers a wide range of rescue and its arenas. It shines a light on people who would have most likely stayed ordinary under regular circumstances; but with tyranny and evil taking power, they became saviors and people of incredible bravery. I think that’s why I like reading about those who rescued others during the Holocaust. It brings light to how ordinary people can make a difference and be such a bright light of humanity amongst such inhumanity.
I liked how the author presented the information as well. Nonfiction works that present their information in personal story format with each chapter being a different person’s story is something I love. It makes the information very easy to digest, each chapter being one person’s story. Not a format that works for all non-fiction, it works great for works like this, telling us about multiple people over one broad theme. It also makes it very readable, giving it readability to a wider audience and even the casual reader who might not look at a non-fiction otherwise.
I personally loved this work. It presents a lot of information in a format that makes it readable by a wide audience, reaching more people with stories that relate in the modern age and give us examples of how even the ordinary can make a difference. Definitely recommended!!
December 20, 2013
Hero of the Holocaust is an award given to Brits who went above and beyond to help rescue victims of the Holocaust. In this book, Lyn Smith gives short biographies of each of the people who have been honored with this award (so far), especially outlining what they did to receive this merit. Some of the heroes did not keep diaries or have parts of their ordeals that have slipped into anonymity, so Smith fills in the gaps by relating what other people in similar time and situation experienced. Woven throughout is an outline of what was going on during WWII in Europe to provide background (the book is arranged chronologically by when the people were active in their heroic acts).
This was a very inspiring read. The heroes are from quite varied backgrounds, but they all share the guts to help fellow humans regardless to what it might cost themselves. Sometimes the flow of the stories lags a little when Smith has to fill in gaps with other narratives and explanations, but for the most part it is an engaging and worthwhile read I'd highly recommend.
Notes on content: There are a few mild swear words that appear very occasionally in quotes. Also some derogatory terms related in stories. In the last story, people mention several rapes that happened. These are not described in any detail, it is just stated that they happened. No sexual content beyond that. Relating stories of the Holocaust and WWII, there is obviously a LOT of violence involved.
This was a very inspiring read. The heroes are from quite varied backgrounds, but they all share the guts to help fellow humans regardless to what it might cost themselves. Sometimes the flow of the stories lags a little when Smith has to fill in gaps with other narratives and explanations, but for the most part it is an engaging and worthwhile read I'd highly recommend.
Notes on content: There are a few mild swear words that appear very occasionally in quotes. Also some derogatory terms related in stories. In the last story, people mention several rapes that happened. These are not described in any detail, it is just stated that they happened. No sexual content beyond that. Relating stories of the Holocaust and WWII, there is obviously a LOT of violence involved.
October 20, 2016
A good read, although for me I would have preferred it to read more like personal stories than as facts but then again some of these stories are about people who have already passed away and so they can't be put in the persons own words. I think it's an excellent book if you haven't already read many books on the Holocaust but for me, I felt I was re-reading things I already know - again not really the fault of this book but more about the time in which I read it. I had read the full book of the man who broke into Auschwitz already so that was just a repeated reading section for me.
I do think though that it's a great book in so much as it highlights some of the unsung heroes of the Holocaust....people whose names aren't maybe known worldwide but who played a part in saving lives...whether it was just one life or many and that is to be greatly admired.
I do think though that it's a great book in so much as it highlights some of the unsung heroes of the Holocaust....people whose names aren't maybe known worldwide but who played a part in saving lives...whether it was just one life or many and that is to be greatly admired.
July 17, 2016
This book gives a powerful and emotional insight on what happened before and during World War II. You get a glimpse of how people strive to survive amidst such brutalities, and how there are people who are kind enough to help them. These heroes did these despite all the possible dangers they would have faced, with a few of them actually having died doing these generous acts. However, the stories also showed how people act when they are given a sense of superiority, and how crowd mentality can be very dangerous, especially in the case of the Germans.
This is a highly recommended read not only for historic buffs, but also for those interested on how the human mind works when placed in very dire situations.
This is a highly recommended read not only for historic buffs, but also for those interested on how the human mind works when placed in very dire situations.
August 25, 2012
I am full of admiration for these people featured in this book who helped others with great risk to themselves. It made me feel very small and wonder if I could have acted as bravely. It also helped to revive my belief in humanity to know there were people who did act with such kindness and compassion in a period when the most horrific events were taking place.
September 3, 2012
Powerful, emotional, eye opening and heartbreaking. The things I have read in this book will stay with me possibly forever so only God knows how the people who actually experienced the Holocaust and those that survived it live with what they saw and felt. So desperately sad.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews