July 1, 2015 — New York, New York
AJC mourns the passing of Sir Nicholas Winton, the Englishman who saved hundreds of children from the Nazis during the Holocaust.
“Nicholas Winton embodied the finest qualities of the human spirit," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "His selfless determination led to the rescue of 669 children, mostly Jewish, from Prague to safety and new lives in England. Without his courageous action, the fate of those children would doubtless have been sealed by the Nazi killing machine.”
His role was only revealed in 1988, when his wife by chance found a scrapbook in their home filled with photos of some of the children he had saved 50 years earlier. Although he subsequently received accolades and honors from the United Kingdom, Israel and the U.S., Winton always remained modest and reserved about his heroic actions in 1939. He passed away at the age of 106.
“At a time when the world desperately needs models of moral courage and human compassion, the legacy of Sir Nicholas Winton ought to be an everlasting example for individuals of goodwill around the world,” said Harris. "In the Jewish tradition, we say that 'He who saves one life has saved the world.' Winton saved 669 worlds, not to mention the thousands of descendants of the rescued children."
