In the article The Forger (Upfront), I learned that during World War II, there were many people willing to help strangers and save them from the terrors happening at the time. Adolfo Kaminsky was a 19-year-old, who at the time, was part of a network that allowed many Jews to be saved. He forged passports along with other documents during this time that allowed many to flee the country or stopped them from being placed in concentration camps. The story behind his determination to help others came from the death of his mother and friend by the Nazis. In the process of helping others, he would risk his sleep because he believed saving others was more important than his own sleep. One time, when they’re needed to be quite an amount of documents made, “He forced himself to stay awake for two straight days, telling himself, “In one hour I can make 30 blank documents. If I sleep for an hour, 30 people will die””.
I think this act of bravery was truly inspiring since he, among others on the same boat, put himself on the line in order to help Jews and other people who were at risk to be saved. When I learned that there is a book based on his life, it inspired me into wanting to read it. Knowing that there was so much chaos happening around you and having the courage to help others rather than breaking and staying back. Rather than just taking care of himself and his family, he sacrificed staying low for being the change during this era, I truly admire his actions.
Would you have done the same in this situation?
