On Wednesday in Prague, the title Righteous Among the Nations was awarded in memory of Bohuslav, Olga and Evženie Čepka, Czech citizens from Volhynia who hid a Jewish family during the Second World War. At the residence of the Israeli ambassador Anna Azaria, the descendants of the saviors took the title with the participation of the descendants of the saviors.
The title of Just Among Nations is awarded by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem to non-Jews who selflessly helped Jews who were victims of the Nazi regime during the Second World War.
Azari said that as ambassador to Ukraine and Poland, he often takes part in ceremonies where the title of Righteous Among the Nations is awarded. “Thanks to the stories of the Čepka family, I learned about the life of the Czech people in Volhynia and the important role they played during the Shoah. I cannot fully understand how much Čepka and people like them can do, the Israeli ambassador said today,” he said. The family of a Czech farmer sheltered five Jewish family members for ten months with no regard for their own safety, providing them with food and building an elaborate shelter for them. He saved their life.
According to Canadian ambassador Ayesha Rekhiová, the Čepkov family was a kind of beacon in the darkness of the Second World War. Acts of courage are not the result of obligation, but of deep compassion and empathy. Belief in the inherent value of every human being makes them true heroes, he said. While honoring the Čepky family, we also remember all the victims of the Holocaust, he added. The Gerstein family came to Canada after 1948.
Currently, more than 28,000 people from 51 countries carry the title Righteous Among the Nations, and from the Czech Republic there are 125 citizens with Čepks, including citizens of the former Czechoslovakia. The medal associated with the award bears the inscription Who saved a life as if he saved the universe.
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