Zyta Eliahu - February 3, 2008
Winton and Barazetti
You were saying they wouldn't designate him as a Righteous Gentile.
Yes, because here's another reason--because he was Jewish. You know, once a Jew, always a Jew. And so, um, there was another reason: they said he didn't endanger his life. Barazetti did endanger his life because he was doing his work in the--in occupied Czechoslovakia and he put his life in danger and he had to go underground, where as Winton didn't endanger his life, which is true because he was doing everything in England. He did get a lot of recognition from the Israeli government, from the president--from Weizmann--but um, even if he had endangered his life, Winton--let's say if he had been in Czechoslovakia he still wouldn't--I don't think he would have been given the title of Righteous Gentile because he's Jewish originally.
There's a movement now to acknowledge Jews who rescued Jews.
Oh, really?
Uh...
What would they--what title would they give them?
They have to come up with something but there's a...
I mean, isn't that what your supposed to do? Shouldn't you be he...into English help English and Americans help Ameri...
Yeah, I agree but there's, um...
Where did this originate?
It's in Jerusalem. People--by survivors in Israel.
I was sure it would be in Israel.
There's some support in United States at this point. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Maybe, maybe the people who came to the United States after the war--Jews who came to after the war.
Yeah, it could be.
I, I really don't think...
I mean, there were some who worked with the underground that...
On the underground, yes, that's true but look if--everybody was doing their best, you know. You had the soldiers, you had the partisans, you had, you had the spies who really endangered themselves.
I think it's a response to people saying, "Why didn't Jews doing anything?" and the response is, "Well, they did." They rescued, rescued other Jews. There's some Jews that rescued other Jews...
The ones that were sent to...
Put their lives in to chance--took a chance with their lives.
I know. That is a complaint why the Jews here didn't pressure more the Allies to do something to stop the concentration camps.
Well it happened in the United States too, and England but, uh...
And all the Jewish communities in these countries.
It just wouldn't--the answer was, "The way to rescue the Jews was to win the war," so they focused all their attention on the war but that's another story.
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