Farm Life
In the decades since the Holocaust, Israel's Yad Vashem has recognized more than 22,000 Righteous Gentiles for risking their lives to protect Jews from Nazi persecution during World War II.Perhaps the most famous among them is Oskar Schindler, a Polish businessman whose story of saving thousands of Jews became the basis for Steven Speilberg's Oscar-winning 1993 movie, "Schindler's List."
But not one of the 22,000 "Righteous Among the Nations" is Arab.
Robert Satloff, executive director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, set out to clarify the historic record.
After writing "Among the Righteous: Lost Stories From The Holocaust's Long Reach Into Arab Lands," Satloff submitted the first request for Yad Vashem to honor an Arab for saving Jews during World War II.
The nominee is Khaled Abdelwahhab, a Tunisian Arab who hid a group of Jews on his farm.
The request received extensive coverage when Satloff made it 18 months ago.
Since then, there has been no word from Yad Vashem.
This week, Satloff and a former Yad Vashem researcher criticized Yad Vashem for not recognizing this historic first.
"I am amazed what is causing such a delay which is way beyond a reasonable amount of time," said Dr. Mordechai Paldiel, the former director of the Department of the Righteous at Yad Vashem.
Satloff called the delay "unexplainable.'
Yad Vashem said the case is still under review.
(Photo of Khaled Abdelwahhab/AP)
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Dan Fishback is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of Dan Fishback may be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
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