the righteous by my side

If someone asks: Are Muslims and Jews feuding? The Metropolis answers yes. Look at the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or the wars before and after the establishment of Israel. However, there are always exceptions.

One year in Israel for a short mission, the captain took us to Yad Vashem. In addition to the history museum, archives, and educational center, this one also has a Gentile Garden of the Righteous. Jews are very nostalgic. Every tree in this garden commemorates everyone who had a part in saving Jews in World War II. Among them was the famous Shutra; there was the Chinese Ho Fengshan, who used his power to issue Chinese visas to Jews; there was also a Muslim: Dr. Mohammed Helmy. He saves a Jewish teenage girl: Anna Boros. This story was written into a book Der Muslim und die Jüdin: Die Geschichte einer Rettung in Berlin.

The reason why the author wrote this book is because of a piece of news:

Seventy years ago, my hometown Germany was ruled by murderers and dictators, but a foreigner with extraordinary courage stepped forward to protect and rescue a Jewish girl.
Years later, Yad Vashem wants to honor the man's heroic deeds. He is an Egyptian Arab, and the Jewish Holocaust Memorial Museum in Israel wants to pay the highest respect for him risking his life to save the Jewish people. The museum wrote to the descendants of the Arab hero, wishing to express their sincere thanks to them.
The other party's answer was: No, thank you. They don't want to have anything to do with it. They are reluctant to accept praise because -- the institution that honors their ancestors is an Israeli unit. (page 9)

Dr. Helmi was the first Muslim to be officially honored by the Jews. Because of this news, the author started to understand this historical fact from the archives. He also personally visited Dr. Helmi and the descendants of Boros.

I have to admire the author's writing skills. The text of the file is cold, and it is not something interesting. But what I saw, instead of repeating the content of the archives, took the reader back to that era. The author seems to have "witnessed" how Dr. Helmi rescued Bolos and the pressure he faced. However, this kind of writing sometimes feels "excessive", and will think about whether it is true, or is the author "adding salt and vinegar"?

After reading it, I felt that saving people really had no nationality or religion. At that time, Muslims could really be bystanders, just like when German Christians followed the government's policy, not only turning a blind eye to the genocide of the Jews, but also causing harm. Although the descendants of Dr. Helmi do not accept praise, it does not damage the greatness of Dr. Helmi. Their friendship has transcended national religions. According to current records, more than 70 Muslims rescued the Jews, but not all of them can be found.

However, there is something very strange. The first is Bolos' mother. Her mother is a Jew. According to the laws promulgated by the Nazis, she should be expelled from Berlin, but because she remarried a German, she can stay in Berlin temporarily. But her daughter was Jewish, someone the Gestapo wanted to capture. The daughter and the doctor should be well protected, but the mother and stepfather casually mentioned the matter of the daughter and Dr. Helmi to outsiders, which made Dr. Helmi and his family very worried. I still don't understand why they would do this. Is it difficult to "pretend" in front of others?

The strangest thing is the cover of the Chinese version. A photo of a man and a woman, with the title of the book "Muslim and Jewish Girls", gives the impression that the protagonists of the photo are Dr. Helmi and Bolos. In fact, the girl on the cover is the doctor's fiancee. The original (German version) is not such a cover. I don't understand why the publisher would make this misleading.

This is a good book for those who like stories about small historical figures.

I believe that such stories will appear in any corner of the world. They will all be remembered eventually.

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"Muslim and Jewish Girls: Rescue Documentary in Berlin's Nazi Era" (from blog) - https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010862344

Dr. Mohamed Helmy (Introduction to Yad Vashem) - https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/helmy-szturmann.html

Der Muslim und die Jüdin: Die Geschichte einer Rettung in Berlin (Amazon) - https://www.amazon.com/Der-Muslim-und-die-Jüdin/dp/3827013518

Unknown Righteous. Meet the Muslims who saved Jews from the Holocaust - https://salamlab.pl/en/unknown-righteous-meet-the-muslims-who-saved-jews-from-the-holocaust/