Israel’s ambassador to Belgium, Idit Rosenzweig-Abu, on Wednesday presented two Belgian families, posthumously, with the “Righteous Among the Nations” mark of recognition.
This award from Israel’s Yad Vashem institute was given in recognition of the help the two families gave to Jews during the Second World War by hiding and sheltering them.
About 50 persons attended Wednesday’s award ceremony, held at the residence of the Israeli ambassador. Descendants of the Steurs and Wijnants families, who sheltered and hid members of the Malher family in the 1940s in Antwerp and Aarschot, received a diploma and a medal with the inscription “Whoever saves a life, saves humanity.”
The Israeli ambassador recalled that these families put themselves in danger by helping the Jewish families they sheltered. “Thank you for doing the right thing when the world went wrong,” she told the families in question.
The descendants of the awardees were keen to recall the courage of their ancestors’ actions given the danger they represented at the time and expressed their gratitude to the Jewish community for honouring their grandparents and great-grandparents.
“I thank your grandparents, your great-grandparents who had the courage to help us during the Second World War,” Antoinette Malher, a descendant of the Jewish family that was hosted, told the Steurs and Wijnants. “They contributed to the survival of my parents and grandparents on my mother’s side.
“They took huge risks with their lives while others remained silent or collaborated with the Germans,” she continued. “It is crucial that all these stories continue to be told. Let us hope that one day the words ‘never again’ will become a reality.”
