Wellington Jews Honor Nancy Wake
Wellington’s Jewish community today honoured Nancy Wake, the New Zealand-born resistance heroine, for her dedication to fighting Nazis in German-occupied France during World War 2.
Israeli Ambassador Shemi Tzur with Inge Woolf (holding flowers) pic: Suzie Isaacs
Flowers were laid by Mrs Inge Woolf at the memorial to Nancy Wake on Wellington’s Oriental Bay, about a hundred metres from where she was born in 1912.
Nancy Wake
“After seeing the persecution of Jews in Vienna in 1938, Nancy Wake acted with immense bravery against the Nazi German occupation of France,” said Mrs Woolf, director of the Wellington Holocaust Research and Education Centre, herself born in Vienna.
“It is part of our Jewish tradition and values to remember and thank those who risked their lives to protect and save Jews,” said David Zwartz, chairman of the Wellington Regional Jewish Council. “Yad Vashem in Jerusalem has recognized many thousands of Righteous Among the Nations for their courage during the Shoah.
“We should never forget those courageous people who stand up against the oppression of minority groups. The Jewish community honours Nancy Wake and all others who have behaved bravely against tyranny.”
The Israeli ambassador, His Excellency Shemi Tzur, was present together with a small gathering of Wellington Jewish community members and interested passers-by. Yesterday, the Mayor of Wellington laid flowers at the same memorial to Nancy Wake.
