The title Righteous Among the Nations honors non-Jewish upstanders who risked their lives to save Jews. These individuals come from diverse backgrounds, including Christians, Muslims, and atheists. They ranged from high-ranking diplomats who used their positions to secure false papers for Jews to peasant farmers who hid Jews on their property.

Irena Stanisława Sendler AKA Sendlerowa (15 February 1910 – 12 May 2008)
Irena was a Polish humanitarian, social worker, and nurse who significantly influenced the Polish Underground Resistance during World War II in German-occupied Warsaw. She led the children's section of Żegota, the Polish Council to Aid Jews, from October 1943. Before and during the war, she was active in social work and conspiratorial activities to rescue Jews. Sendler, along with a network of workers and volunteers, smuggled Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto, provided them with false identity documents, and placed them with Polish families or in care facilities, saving them from the Holocaust.

Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg (4 August 1912 – disappeared 17 January 1945)
Raoul was a Swedish architect, businessman, diplomat, and humanitarian who saved thousands of Jews in German-occupied Hungary during the Holocaust. As Sweden's special envoy in Budapest from July to December 1944, he issued protective passports and sheltered Jews in buildings designated as Swedish territory, protecting them from German Nazis and Hungarian fascists.

Oskar Schindler (28 April 1908 – 9 October 1974)
Oskar was a German industrialist and Nazi Party member who saved 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories in occupied Poland and Bohemia and Moravia. Initially motivated by profit, Schindler displayed remarkable courage and dedication in protecting his Jewish workers. His efforts are depicted in the 1982 novel "Schindler's Ark" and its 1993 film adaptation, "Schindler's List."

André Trocmé (7 April 1901 – 5 June 1971) and his wife, Magda Trocmé (2 November 1901 – 10 October 1996)
André and Magda were a French couple recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. André, a Protestant pastor, served in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon for 15 years. He was accepted there due to his Christian pacifist beliefs, which were unpopular with the French Protestant Church. As the Nazis rose to power, he preached against discrimination and encouraged his congregation to shelter Jewish refugees during World War II.

As you walk up this staircase, let the Righteous Among the Nations and the light of their spirit, serve as a metaphor for the moral ascent we are all called to make. Each step represents a story of courage and sacrifice, urging us to remember that in our everyday lives, we too can choose to act with kindness and integrity.

May their stories of bravery and altruism continue to illuminate our path, committing ourselves to the same principles of justice, compassion, and unwavering courage.