“help” and “rescue.”

Think about the terms “help” and “rescue.”  What is the difference between these two terms?  In the context of the Holocaust, how do you understand the difference between these two terms?  Can you think of a specific time when help was needed rather than rescue, and of times when Jews needed to be rescued?  Would you characterize those individuals who helped Jews as heroes?  Why or why not? (Echoes and Reflection)

In my opinion, the difference between help and rescue is that rescuing is when you go and get a person in a bad situation (could be a life or death one or a bad place) and get them out of that situation fast. Where as helping is people giving time to keep them alive.   

Helping examples:

Modern: Rebuilding together Aurora. This is a group of people who get out and go to Aurora to help put in new windows, paint houses, rebuild parts of property.

Historical: People would put Jewish people into hiding in their houses to help them stay alive.  A Catholic movement Zegota that provided hiding places, food, medical care, and Arms for Jewish resistance to help keep them alive.

Rescuing examples:

Modern: Firefighters, Paramedics, and Police. They all come to rescue people, risking their lives in dangerous situation and places.

Historical: Young adults and teens would go out, risk their lives, and attack camps and ghettos to get lots of people out to get them to safety and away from the Nazis. Denmark delayed all the Jews sendings to death camps, and eventually hid them everywhere.

      

There are so many different definitions and opinions about what “help” and “rescue” mean, my opinion of this is they are very similar and very different at the same time.