The altruistic personality : rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe

Why, during the Holocaust, did some ordinary people risk their lives and the lives of their families to help others--even total strangers--while others stood passively by? Samuel Oliner, a Holocaust survivor who has interviewed more than 700 European rescuers and nonrescuers, provides some surprising answers in this compelling work. Why, during the Holocaust, did some ordinary people risk their lives and the lives of their families to help others--even total strangers--while others stood passively by? Samuel Oliner, a Holocaust survivor who has interviewed more than 700 European rescuers and nonrescuers, provides some surprising answers in this compelling work. An analysis of the psychological motivations of rescuers of Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. They were found to have a general empathy for the other, which was practiced by their parents and developed in them. Ch. 2 (p. 13-49), "The Historical Context of Rescue", by Lawrence Baron, describes the political, legal, and social climate in Germany, Poland, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. Discusses local policies and those imposed by Nazi Germany, and the responses of local leaders and officials. Throughout the book, gives personal accounts of courageous acts and frightful experiences of the rescuers and the rescued. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism) Why, during the Holocaust, did some ordinary people risk their lives and the lives of their families to help others#8212;even total strangers#8212;while others stood passively by? Samuel Oliner, a Holocaust survivor who has interviewed more than 700 European rescuers and nonrescuers, provides some surprising answers in this compelling work. Examines the reasons why some people risked their lives to help the Jews in Nazi Europe. The book reveals that many of these acts of bravery were not the result of the heroic impulse, but were a matter of keeping faith with a sense of morality taught from childhood. World War II is rightfully remembered as a time of exceeding cruelty and barbarism.