Dentist Who Rescued Jews During Holocaust Honored in Farmington Hills

A dentist who rescued Jews during World War II and saved them from the Holocaust was honored posthumously with Israel’s highest honors, the “Righteous Among the Nations” Award, presented Sunday at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills.

The award honoring Dr. Maria Holecek, a young dentist in Lithuania when she risked her life hiding Jews and arranging other shelter and illegal transfers, was accepted by her sons, Dr. Frank Holecek of Novi and Dr. Andrew Holecek.

The award was presented by board members for the Yad Vashem museum, the world’s largest living Holocaust memorial in the world established in 1953. The designation of “Righteous Among the Nations” is granted by the State of Israel after meticulous research. It is considered to be the highest award honoring rescuers during the Holocaust.

The “Righteous Among Nations” ceremony was sponsored by the American Society for Yad Vashem and the Consulate General of Israel  to the Midwest. The Honorable Roey Gilad (Consul General) and S. Isaac Mekel, Director of Development for the American Society for Yad Vashem, also served as presenters at the event.

Also speaking during the ceremony was Oakland County Commissioner Kathy Crawford, who called Holecek a hero who deserves a place in history alongside Medal of Honor recipients, Tuskeegee Airmen from Michigan and other groups that showed dignity and valor during World War II.

“Those Medal of Honor recipients have a lot in common with Dr. Maria Holecek because, like her, they thought of themselves as ordinary people who in a single pivotal moment, with little or no time to consider the risks, did something so extraordinary, it was way beyond the capabilities of most people – taking great personal risk to protect and save the lives of people they often did not even know,” Crawford said.

“Now, like those heroes, the Righteous Among Nations will include the story of Dr. Maria Holecek so that not only will her memory live on through her family, but it is recorded for all time and will surely inspire generations of people we will never know,” she added.