London Jewish taxi drivers give Holocaust rescuers free rides
In Warsaw alone, dozens recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Israel live in the sprawling metropolis, where taxis can be unaffordable to elderly people with monthly state-issued pensions.
By CNAAN LIPHSHIZ/JTAUpdated: NOVEMBER 15, 2018 11:24A London black cab taxi drives past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in late afternoon sunlight in London, Britain, November 10, 2016. (photo credit: REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE)
(JTA) — Three Jewish taxi operators from London have donated cabs to be used for chauffeuring around Poles who risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust.Farley Freedman, Asher Moses and Howard Kott provided two of their city’s characteristic black cabs to From the Depths, a Poland-based Holocaust-commemoration organization ahead of their transport to Poland next month.“It’s our way of helping them,” Freedman told the The Jewish News of London, which on Wednesday published an article about the initiative. “These people were so good for us and this is us trying to be good for them. A lot of them are elderly now and struggle to get around, so we hope it helps.”In Warsaw alone, dozens recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Israel live in the sprawling metropolis, where taxis can be unaffordable to elderly people with monthly state-issued pensions of no more than a few hundred dollars.“These cabs are coming to the end of their life in London and can’t be used here anymore, but they’re perfectly good to use elsewhere,” said Freedman, who became involved after a chance encounter with Jonny Daniels, the London-born founder of From the Depths, The Jewish News reported.Daniels had offered to buy the taxis, but Freedman, Moses and Kott decided they wanted to donate them instead, the report said.Featuring rear-opening back doors and spacious interiors, the cabs are “amazing mobility vehicle and enable us to take the Righteous in wheelchairs,” the 32-year-old Daniels said.“As millennials, we see things slightly differently from those before us. With survivors and their saviors passing at an ever increasing rate, we need to figure out how to ensure the generations after us connect with this painful and difficult history.”Edward Mosberg 92, of New Jersey helped fund the project, which is also supported by the TSKZ Polish Jewish cultural group. Mosberg, a Poland-born Holocaust survivor, said in a statement that “it is imperative for us to do all we can to be of assistance and help the living Righteous. These people are true heroes.”
