Help & Rescue

Help & 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?

The difference between help and rescue, is that help is when you help someone out like, if they needed water, you would give them water, and if they needed food you would give them food. What rescue means is that, say somebody was trapped, and someone came to save you, that would be rescue. In the context of the Holocaust, I can understand the difference between these two terms, is that many individuals helped the Jews hide or escape, they hid them in attics, cellars, barns, haystacks, and sheds. A Hungarian officer provided water and helped Jew prisoners when they tired on a long march (Rescuing Jews article). I can relate rescue to the context of the Holocaust, by when Raoul Wallenberg handed out official-looking diplomatic papers to thousands to Jews. A specific time that I can think that help was needed rather than rescue was when the Jewish people asked for water in the movie Fateless, and a time when Jews needed to be rescued was when they were sent to the gas chambers. I would characterize those who rescued the Jews as heroes, because someone who is a hero is someone who comes and saves someone, and when they rescued the Jews, that is being a hero.