February 15, 2006
Four German couples have been honored posthumously by Israel's Shoah memorial institution Yad Vashem for their efforts in saving Jews from the Nazi onslaught during World War II. In a ceremony held in Berlin, an Israeli diplomat presented their heirs with medals and certificates declaring them "Righteous among the Nations". Several children and grandchildren of the saved Jews came from Brazil, Israel and the United States to attend the ceremony. Albert and Marga Gilles from Cologne, Rudolf and Lina Kiefert from a village near Hanover, and Johann and Klara Maschotta as well as Adolf and Frida Wiegel from Berlin were praised for helping to prevent the deportation of Jews to the Nazi death camps. So far, Yad Vashem has decorated more than 20,000 with the award, among them only 410 Germans.
