"Don't rush to fight and die. We have so few left, we have to save lives. It's more important to save Jews from killing Germans." So says Tuvia Bielski, the partisan commander who set up his brother's camp in the Naliboki Forest, where many Jewish families were protected during the Holocaust and rescued them alongside the partisan fighting against the Germans and their aides.

During the Holocaust there was an important phenomenon of Jews who risked themselves to save their people. In this reality, where every Jew is persecuted, in such extreme and unprecedented conditions, but it is natural for the individual to concentrate on trying to save himself, his family and his relatives. Although the statement "all of Israel is Arab to one another" is a principle that the Jewish people have been educated to throughout the ages, the very choice to reach out for life risk is not self-evident. Jews who tried to save other Jews took a double risk, as they too were persecuted for the murderous Nazi policy.

The rescue operations were carried out as part of initiatives by individuals or as part of activities of various Jewish organizations, underground or institutions. They existed in countries where Jews were persecuted and in countries to which Jews fled. The rescue efforts were carried out by various means, including smuggling and crossing borders, preparation and distribution of forged documents, assistance with immigration or concealment, and the establishment of welfare and welfare institutions for the benefit of the entire Jewish public.

Many of the Jewish rescue initiatives were carried out with the help of non-Jews, including Righteous Among the Nations, who provided assistance and support. The phenomenon of Jewish solidarity and the courage of individuals and groups during the Holocaust - shows that in an hour of existential danger, mutual guarantee continued and moral values ​​were preserved, including the desire and commitment to help one another. The Jewish rescuers faced dilemmas and existential difficulties, yet they chose to do things for their persecuted brethren. 

We must all remember and learn this wonderful story. Of course, the situation today is not at all similar to what it was during the Holocaust, but it can be said that solidarity crisis and mutual guarantee are fundamental to our strength - as Jews, as Israelis and as human beings. I draw encouragement from their perspective and their life experiences after the Holocaust. They teach us determination, patience and commitment to the values ​​of building and renewal. Individuals and communities can successfully cope with situations of distress, and even carve meaning to them - for now and beyond.

The writer is chairman of Yad Vashem