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in july 1941, a young german man, berthold beitz, only twenty-seven years old, came to the city of borysław in eastern galicia to take up the position of business manager in an oil refinery. there beitz witnessed at close-hand the ongoing destruction of the jews. unhesitatingly, he opposed the program of extermination and succeeded – often, literally, at the last minute – in rescuing several hundred jews from the death trains bound for the bełżec extermination camp. he did this by requesting from the ss that the jews be handed over to him as (supposedly) indispensable skilled workers; thus, he saved the lives of many jews by issuing false work certificates. at the greatest personal risk, berthold beitz and his wife, else, provided the jews secretly with food and hid others in their own home. in 1973, in recognition of his humane and courageous stance on behalf of the persecuted, berthold beitz was honored as a lefteous among the nations at yad vashem.