The Righteous
who they are
There is no single definition for the Righteous.
What they have in common is their ability to act according to their own conscience, to react in the face of Evil, to assume personal responsibility.
The experience of the totalitarian regimes of the Twentieth century has shown how easy it is to harden one’s heart to all forms of pity and solidarity: the Turkish, Nazi and Communist murderers acted undisturbed, as have the warlords in Africa and elsewhere more recently.
The Righteous have the moral fortitude to question their own conscience in the face of conformism and indifference, without any feeling of security given by their belonging to the persecutors’ camp. Sometimes, the victims themselves find the strength to resist their persecutors and successfully defend their own dignity or try to assist other people in the same plight.
The importance of the Righteous also involves remembering the past and defending truth, against attempts at destroying evidence of the massacres, denying personal and collective responsibility, distorting history.
This is why we can apply the term ‘righteous’ to those who, faced with genocide or other crimes against humanity:
- Save human lives
- Help the persecuted
- Report the crimes
- Preserve human dignity
- Defend truth and memory
- Succeed in distancing themselves from Evil
The Righteous are our conscience, they belie the alibis of passive bystanders.
The Righteous demonstrate that there is always a choice, even in the direst circumstances, and that there is always an option to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
