Righteous Among the Nations
The title "Righteous Among the Nations" is the highest honour bestowed by Yad Vashem upon non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Rather than a singular act, these rescuers represented a diverse spectrum of defiance, from ordinary citizens providing food and secret shelter to high-ranking diplomats who sacrificed their careers to issue life-saving visas. These stories serve as a powerful reminder that even when the machinery of a state is geared toward destruction, individual moral choice remains possible.
When Yad Vashem designates an individual as ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ their extraordinary bravery during the Holocaust is officially recognised through several tributes:
A custom medal and certificate: Honorees receive an official certificate alongside a specially crafted medal engraved with their name.
Inclusion on the Wall of Honor: The recipient’s name is permanently inscribed in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
Formal international ceremonies: Israeli diplomatic representatives coordinate award presentations worldwide, delivering the honours to living rescuers or their surviving family members.
The New Zealand connection
While many of these acts took place in the heart of occupied Europe, their legacy lived on as both rescuers and survivors eventually found their way to New Zealand. The following stories explore these remarkable local connections.
Wladimir Riszko - Poland / New Zealand
Between 1942 and 1944, under the constant shadow of death in Nazi-occupied Przemysl, Poland, Wladimir Riszko hid 16 Jews in a bunker under his home. Among them was a young woman named Rivka (Renee) Schildkraut, whom he later married, and a young boy, Dov Feingold, who was the only child in the hiding place. Wladimir provided food, shelter, and protection against annihilation.
After the war, Wladimir and Renee rebuilt their lives, eventually immigrating to New Zealand in the 1950s, and raising their son George z"l and daughter Eva. A quiet, humble man, Wladimir passed away in 1978, his bravery known to few outside his immediate family.
For over 70 years, the descendants of those he saved searched for him. In 2021, an email sent from Israel by Dov’s daughter, Sara Bank-Wolf, to the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand unlocked the mystery. A Holocaust Centre volunteer and historian, Dr. Ann Beaglehole, recognised the story and connected Sara with Wladimir’s children. Within days, families spanning Israel, New Zealand, the UK, and the US connected online. Families that, if it weren't for Wladimir choosing to follow his conscience instead of compliance, would not have existed.
On 25 June 2026, the Holocaust Centre had the honour to co-host a very emotional ceremony with the Embassy of Israel, posthumously honouring Wladimir Riszko with the title of Righteous Among the Nations.
Wladimir's daughter, Eva Woodbury, accepted the award and shared his remarkable story. Stirring addresses were also heard from the Ambassador of Israel, H.E. Alon Roth, the Ambassador of Poland, H.E. Patryk Błaszczak, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rt Hon Winston Peters, Simon Court MP, and our Chair, Deborah Hart.
Elisabeth Maas
Hermina van der Schaaf
Eleonora Sipos (1900-1988) Hungary / New Zealand
Eleonora Sipos was a Czechoslovakian-born woman whose extraordinary bravery was officially recognised by Yad Vashem after she settled in New Plymouth. During the occupation of Hungary, Eleonora took the immense risk of concealing and protecting a Jewish family, providing them with food, shelter, and safety while the Holocaust intensified around them.
Her actions were driven by a steadfast refusal to be a bystander to the deportations, and her life in New Zealand served as a bridge between the harrowing reality of wartime Europe and the quiet, enduring legacy of those who chose to protect others at any cost.
Johanna and Frits Hakkens Netherlands / New Zealand
Johanna and Frits Hakkens were a Dutch couple who transformed their home into a vital sanctuary for those fleeing the Nazi regime in the Netherlands. By providing secret hiding places for Jewish individuals, they operated under the constant shadow of discovery and severe retribution, yet they never wavered in their commitment to their fellow citizens.
Their journey eventually led them to New Zealand, where they contributed to the local community for many years. Their recognition as Righteous Among the Nations ensures that their story of resilience and moral clarity remains a permanent part of the historical record in both their homeland and New Zealand.
Stuff article: Hidden baby meets her 'brothers' (2011)
RNZ article: Elli and the story of the couple who saved her from the Nazis
Book - Saving Elli by Doug Gold: https://www.allenandunwin.co.nz/browse/book/Doug-Gold-Saving-Elli-9781991142054
Elisabeth Maas was a Dutch-born rescuer who was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations in 1985 for her courageous actions in the Netherlands. During the Nazi occupation, she and her family hid several Jewish individuals, including a woman named Clara, even as the Gestapo conducted frantic searches of their home following a tip-off. Despite the constant threat of discovery and the scarcity of resources, Elisabeth maintained her defiance until the end of the war, eventually immigrating to New Zealand in a small boat and settling in Nelson, where she lived until her passing in 1993.
Hermina van der Schaaf, along with her late husband, provided a sanctuary for Jewish people and others fleeing persecution in their large Dutch home during 1943. By sheltering three Jewish individuals for several months, the couple risked imprisonment in concentration camps, yet they remained committed to their survival and maintained contact with those they saved for decades afterward. Hermina moved to Christchurch in 1963 and was formally recognised by Yad Vashem in 2008, remaining a modest but powerful example of how clear, individual action can stand against the tide of systemic injustice.
To learn more about the Righteous Among the Nations, go to: https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/about-the-righteous.html