UUSC is proud to announce that two of our founders are being honored posthumously as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority in Israel, for their work helping Jews escape Nazi persecution during World War II.

The Rev. Waitstill Sharp, and his wife, Martha Sharp, are only the second and third U.S. citizens to receive this international distinction; Martha Sharp is the first woman from the United States to be so honored.

Rev. Sharp was the minister at the Unitarian church in Wellesley Hills, Mass., when he and Martha, an experienced social worker, left for Europe in 1939. Their initial work in Czechoslovakia turned into a six-year mission to help Jewish and other refugees escape from the Nazi scourge. The Sharps are two of the five founding staff members of the Unitarian Service Committee — the forerunner of today's Unitarian Universalist Service Committee — all of whom worked in Europe for the duration of the war.

"We at UUSC are deeply gratified that the Sharps' heroic efforts — risking their lives to help others — are being recognized by the international community," said Charlie Clements, UUSC president. "Over the past 65 years, the legacy of the Sharps and their efforts during the Holocaust has informed our work and inspired us to challenge modern forms of oppression. I was reminded again of this last month when I traveled to Chad to hear the stories of refugees fleeing the genocide now taking place in Darfur, Sudan. The honor bestowed on the Sharps reinforces our commitment to challenge the inhumanity of this era."

For a brief history of the Sharps, download this PDF booklet (2MB)

For more information on Yad Vashem, visit www.yadvashem.org

Read more coverage of this honor at the Unitarian Universalist Association website, Israeli Government Designates Unitarians as "Righteous Among the Nations".