Stanlee Stahl (left), executive vice president of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, greets Marian Turski, a Holocaust survivor and chairman of the board of the Museum of Polish Jews, on Sunday in Warsaw. Photo: Provided photo.

JNS.org – The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) on Sunday honored 35 Polish rescuers of Jews living in Warsaw in one of the largest-ever gatherings of Holocaust rescuers in that city. The rescuers — ranging in age from their 80s to 101 — gathered at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jewry.

The JFR provides monthly financial support to about 440 elderly and needy Holocaust-era Polish rescuers of Jews. In 2016, the JFR plans to provide $1 million in aid to Holocaust rescuers living in Poland.

“You are role models for our children and children’s children,” Stanlee Stahl, executive vice president of the JFR, told the rescuers on Sunday in Warsaw. “In the US we tell your stories. We teach about your sacrifice, courage, and moral leadership. You think your acts were ordinary, but they were extraordinary. You had the courage to care and the courage to act. Words are inadequate to thank you. I feel honored being in your presence.”

“We have found a great partner in the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous,” said US Ambassador to Poland Paul Jones. “Together, we are able to send teachers from Poland to the wonderful Teacher’s Seminar at Columbia University to assure that the great stories in this room are passed along to many generation to come. Honoring and celebrating all of you here today is an honor for me. To our Polish rescuers, we are grateful for your courage and compassion. Your stories are inspiring to us.”