Major Karl Plagge in the German Wehrmacht saved 250 Jews from almost certain death in Vilnius, Lithuania during World War II despite being an officer in the Nazi party and commandant of a slave labor camp. A Holocaust survivor uncovered Plagge's heroic actions of arguing with the SS to spare the women and children inmates for the sake of work production, risking being accused of favoring Jews. Yad Vashem honored Plagge as Righteous Among Nations for taking considerable risk to save lives at the camp where hundreds of Jews died but many others were spared due to his intervention.

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64-year-old Story of Humanism and Heroism
Topic: Culture History
Author: Geir E. Jansen
Date: Tuesday, April 12 @ 00:11:24 CEST
An unlikely story of humanism, heroism and courage, was put forth as the Holocaust Museum in
Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, announced its intention to declare Karl Plagge, Major in the German armed forces
during the second world war, Wehrmacht, "Righteous among nations" (an honorary title at the Museum).
The true, but yet unbelievable story of how 250 Jews was saved from, a most likely, sure death in the
hands of the SS in Vilnius, Lithuania, by a man that not only was an officer in the Wehrmact, and a member of
the Nazi-party, but on top of that, hold on to your hats, also was a commandant of a slave-labour-camp!,
Guardian Unlimited reports.
It was only when a 75-year-old Holocaust survivor returned to the street in Vilnius, Lithuania, six years ago
that a tale of heroism began to be uncovered that has led to an unusual ceremony in Jerusalem today to
honour the commandant of a Nazi slave labour camp where hundreds of Jews died but many others were
saved.
Dr Good, the son of a woman whose life was saved by Plagge, tracked down survivors and documents to put
together a case for Yad Vashem to recognise Plagge"s heroism.
The organisation twice rejected his petitions because it was not certain why the major acted as he did. It also
needed to be persuaded that he took "a considerable and conscious risk".
Daniel Fraenkel, a member of the Yad Vashem committee that made the decision, said he had been persuaded
by "massive and multi-layered evidence".
"More than half of the camp inmates were children and women," said Mr Fraenkel. "He really got into a
heated argument with the SS that without the children and the women the motivation of the workers would be
very low, and so this would be injurious for production.
"The SS were no fools. The risk for Plagge was that he would be accused of favouring Jews, and this was
really a very serious offence.", Guardian Unlimited reports further.
Life itself can sometimes be as unlikely, unpredictable and dramatic as any fictional story.
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