Heroic Wellesley Couple at Center of Ken Burns Documentary

WELLESLEY, MA – A Wellesley Unitarian minister and his wife are at the center of a new Ken Burns documentary about their efforts to save political dissidents and Jewish refugees from Nazi occupation during World War II.

"Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War," co-directed by Burns and Artemis Joukowsky, will air Sep. 20 on WGBH 2. It tells the story of the Waitstill and Martha Sharp, who left their children in the care of their parish in Wellesley and embarked on a series of bold and life-threatening missions across Europe.

Over the course of two years, they saved hundreds from the Nazi war machine, according to a PBS release.

"The story of Waitstill and Martha Sharp is one of the most incredible tales of compassion, sacrifice and heroism that I have ever heard, and I was completely unaware of it until five years ago when Artemis Joukowsky first shared it with me," said Ken Burns in an announcement. "Nearly three years before America as a nation became involved in the Second World War, these two unassuming, so-called ‘ordinary’ Americans gave up everything they knew and loved and risked their lives to become involved in a war 4,000 miles away because they knew there were people in grave danger who needed help."

Artemis Joukowsky, a film producer and Burns' co-director, is the grandson of the Sharps and has spent decades researching their heroism.

The Sharps' story began in January of 1939, when Waitstill received a call from the American Unitarian Association Vice president Rev. Everett Baker. Baker implored the Sharps to travel to Czechoslovakia and help provide relief to those fleeing Nazi persecution.

Seventeen other members of the church had declined, as being discovered would lead to imprisonment, likely torture and almost certain death. Their mission, which was to last only a few months, spanned close to two years.

During this time, the Sharps narrowly escaped arrest, faced off against the Nazi police and watched as the Third Reich spread throughout eastern Europe.

In recognition of their sacrifice, the Sharps were honored at Yad Vashem in Israel and declared "Righteous Among the Nations." Of the thousands to receive this distinction, there are only five Americans.

"Beyond the cloak-and-dagger suspense of my grandparents’ experience, it is a story of whatAmerica meant to refugees fleeing war-torn countries to build new lives," Artemis Joukowsky said in a release. "And it underscores what Waitstill would call ‘a collaborative effort’ of how a small but effective underground network of rescue workers saved as many lives as they could, and how important that lesson is for what is happening today."

"Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War" will air Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. on WGBH 2. Watch a trailer for the documentary below:

Photo courtesy of Sharp Family Archives