Saving lives during the Holocaust

The Holocaust Memorial Center is a place of remembrance and a site for expressing solidarity with the victims. It also aims to appropriately honor the courageous and selfless individuals who saved lives. The Center emphasizes the importance of respecting and protecting human rights and life.

During World War II, universal moral values collapsed. The actions of the rescuers embodied a sense of humanity transcending all personal and material considerations. The rescuers saved Jews and other persecuted people in secret, in hostile environments, and under the constant threat of exposure. Their acts represent the highest level of valor, similar to the courage displayed on battlefields. Our goal is to locate and register sites commemorating the rescue of people, Jewish resistance, and self-rescue, to assist in their preservation, and to honor the memory of those who saved lives.

Righteous Among the Nations

The most prestigious international recognition for rescuers is the Righteous Among the Nations award, which is given by the Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem. The institute, which preserves the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, was founded in 1953 and has been honoring non-Jews since 1963 who, at the risk of their own lives and without expecting anything in return, saved Jewish lives. Over the past sixty years, more than 28,000 people have received this recognition.

As of January 2024, 887 Hungarian rescuers had received the Righteous Among the Nations award.

You can submit your rescue story by using the “Report a Rescuer" form (in Hungarian). You can share your memories and information about the events and locations with us on the Ki tud róla?/Who Knows about Them? page.