The Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust with Richard Hurowitz | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

What makes an ordinary person risk everything to save a stranger?

Author and historian Richard Hurowitz joins the show to discuss his book, In the Garden of the Righteous: The Heroes Who Risked Their Lives to Save Jews During the Holocaust, which recounts the extraordinary men and women who took immense personal risks to aid people who were being hunted by the Nazis. 

The conversation explores unforgettable stories of moral courage, including a Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands with a stamp and lost his career, a world-famous Italian cyclist who used his celebrity and his bicycle to smuggle false papers, and entire communities in Denmark, Albania, and France that refused to betray their Jewish neighbors. Hurowitz explains why rescue remains one of the least studied aspects of the Holocaust, what rescuers had in common, and how early childhood values, faith, and self-confidence shaped their decisions.

This is a powerful and deeply human discussion about moral responsibility, the nature of courage, and what it means to stand up when standing apart is dangerous — and why these stories still matter today.