Here stands the Mod Helmy Plaque a testament to courage and compassion. It commemorates Dr Mohamed Mod Helmy an Egyptian physician who risked his life to save Jews during the Holocaust. He was born in Khartoum Sudan in 1901. He moved to Berlin in 1922 to study medicine. He became head of urology at the Robert Koch Hospital.
The rise of the Nazis drastically altered his life. Jewish colleagues were fired. Helmy a North African was also discriminated against. He lost his job and was barred from marrying his fiancu00e9e. He was even racially classified as a Hamite according to Nazi racial theories. He was arrested in 1939 and 1940 for being an Egyptian national in wartime Germany. His health suffered terribly during his imprisonment in Wu00fclzburg.
Despite the immense personal risk Helmy continued to defy the Nazi regime. He secretly practiced medicine. He even helped foreign workers and German citizens avoid forced labor or military service by forging sick notes. But most importantly he sheltered and protected a Jewish family.
Anna Boros a young Jewish woman was his patient. When the Nazis ordered her deportation Helmy hid her. He used his ingenuity and his position to protect her and her family. He created a false story to cover Anna’s identity. He presented her as his Muslim niece Nadya. He employed her as his assistant.
He also helped hide Anna’s mother stepfather and grandmother. He worked with Frieda Szturmann a German friend. She sheltered Anna’s grandmother and shared food rations with her. Helmy provided medical care and support to the entire family. For over a year he reported to the police daily to avoid being sent back to the internment camp. He had to continuously lie and fabricate stories to protect himself and his patients.
Helmy’s actions saved the lives of Anna and four of her relatives. After the war they emigrated to the United States. Helmy eventually married his fiancu00e9e. He continued his medical practice until his death in 1982.
In 2013 Yad Vashem posthumously awarded Helmy the title of Righteous Among the Nations. He was the first Arab to receive this honor. It’s a testament to his exceptional bravery and compassion. This plaque stands as a reminder of his extraordinary acts of heroism during a dark time in history. It shows that even amidst persecution ordinary people can perform extraordinary acts of kindness and courage. Let us never forget Mod Helmy’s story.