Many paths to righteousness: An assessment of research on why righteous gentiles helped jews

Abstract

Since 1953, Israel, through Yad Vashem, has offered official and grateful recognition to those European Gentiles who helped Jews survive the Holocaust. These "Righteous Gentiles" also have become the subject of several research studies in the social sciences, most of which are critically reviewed in this essay. The studies examine rescuer socialization, sociological characteristics, personality types, and motivations, as well as consider the importance of srtuational factors in determining who became a rescuer. This essay explores the contours of the research findings and considers both the promise and the limitations of this line of inquiry. © 1993 by Oxford University Press.