Mira Wexler thanks Helena Weglowski for saving her family. Photo: JFR

JNS.org – A Holocaust survivor met with her rescuer at JFK International Airport in New York on Wednesday, a day before Thanksgiving, for the first time in 69 years. The meeting between Mira Wexler and Helena Weglowski from Poland was organized by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR).

During the Holocaust, Weglowski, with the help of her brother, hid Wexler and her mother on a farm and in the woods, secretly bringing them groceries. Wexler and her mother survived the war and later moved to Brazil. Mira Wexler now lives in Rio de Janeiro, while Weglowski remained in Poland.

The Weglowski family also hid Mira’s uncle, Joseph.

“In the many years we have worked with survivors and their rescuers, I continue to be amazed by the heroism of the thousands of Christian rescuers who risked their  lives to save Jews from certain death,” said JFR Executive Vice President Stanlee Stahl.

“We owe a great deal of gratitude to these Righteous Gentiles, and through our work, hope to improve their lives and preserve their stories of heroism,” she added.