While there is no escaping the countless stories of pain, murder, and atrocity that the Holocaust created, there are also stories that help prove the existence of good, as well. The story of Sir Nicholas Winton is one such example, and helps to illustrate that even in the midst of so much evil, good people were willing to risk their lives in order to help others.

Oskar Schindler is perhaps the most well-known hero to rise out of the Holocaust, thanks largely to the novel and film based on his efforts to save Jews in Poland and the Czech Republic. Born in 1908, Schindler was a member of the Nazi party as well as a German industrialist, and he used his factories as a way to keep numerous Jews alive and out of the death camps. Eventually, Schindler managed to save more than 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust.

It is easy for us to forget that in the middle of all the evil darkness that spread throughout Europe during WWII, that there were bright lights of good dotting the landscape. One that burned the brightest was certainly that of Irena Sendler, who saved thousands of Jewish children during the Holocaust and underwent numerous challenges during it as well.

The Holocaust killed millions of men, women, and children, and was unquestionably one of the greatest atrocities that ever occurred. The death and carnage during this period of time is hard to fathom, and out of the depths of evil there are many stories of survival. Rivka Yosselevska was one such survivor, and her story of what happened to her remains one of the most harrowing and well known to come from the Holocaust.

While it is primarily the villains that are often remembered when it comes to WWII and the Holocaust, this terrible event also birthed many true heroes, and recognizing and remembering them is important as well. One such hero is Father Maximilian Kolbe, who is now recognized as Saint Maximilian Kolbe.