Who Is Marion Pritchard A Hero

Marion Pritchard was a Dutch lady who lived through World War II. She was one of the many people to help the Jews get away from the Nazis. She was inspired by seeing how the Nazis treated the Jews, and did everything she could to save them. She risked her own life to protect them from the people who were trying to hurt them, and could have been hurt or even killed for her actions. Marion Pritchard is one of the many heroes from World War II because she risked her life to save the many Jews in the Netherlands from slaughter, and without her actions more Jews could have been killed.
Marion Pritchard is a hero because she did whatever she could to help the Jews. All three of the articles I read it mention what she did to help the Jews. She

not only helped them by getting them things they needed, but she also lied to the Nazis. Both the New York Times and Washington Post wrote about Marion Pritchard. Marion Pritchard said in a lecture at the University of Michigan in 1966. She says, “By 1945, I had lied, stolen, cheated, deceived, and even killed.” She did all these things to help the Jews. She not only did this but, she also hid Jews in her own home. In Washington Post, New York Times , and Raul Wallenburg it says something about how she sheltered Jews. She housed a family for nearly three years. This family was the Polaks. They regularly practiced the drill for if a Nazi came. When a Nazi or Policeman came they would hide under the floorboards. They eventually could do this in less than a minute. One day a Nazi came. As practiced the family quickly got into their hiding spot. Because they hid as quickly as they could Marion forgot to give the baby its sleeping powder. After the policemen left, they got out of their spot. Shortly after one of the men came back. As an instinct she grabbed a gun and shot him. After shooting him she found a casket with another dead body in it and put that officers body inside with the other one. It was actions like this that would define Marion Pritchard as a hero.
Marion Pritchard risked her life for every Jew she helped.

Countless people who helped Jews risked their lives, but Marion Pritchard risked her more then the others. This is because she had already been to jail. She went for six or seven months for a crime she didn’t commit. She was accused of being apart of a rebellious group. This resistance was distributing mimeographed broadsheets. The name of this group could not be found. In the article from New York Times article about her it says, “She was not part of the group, she said, burt was imprisoned for about six months and tortured.” This was illegal because the Nazis relied on their lies to keep the people believing their group so they could stay in power. This was a serious crime during the war. She could have gotten a worse punishment if she was caught helping the Jews like being senteced to death or going to many of the camps Nazis had during this time.
Some people might argue that Marion Pritchard is not a hero because she did what many other people were doing during the war. Just because of their actions, does it make hers any less herioc? It all comes down to their definition of a hero. The common definition of hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievement or noble qualities. Another common definition is an ordinary person who helps others who need it. The definition used in this essay is an ordinary person who helps others who need it. Both definition describe what Marion Pritchard did during World War

II.
Marion Pritchard’s actions can either be defined as heroic or not. Many people say she was a hero because what she did for all those people. Without her help, about 110,125 Dutch Jews could have died. The total now is 110,000 Dutch Jews. These numbers were said in New York Times, Washington Post, and Raul Wallenburg These numbers are terrible and would be ever worse if she didn´t help. Marion Pritchard’s actions qualify her as a hero.

Works cited

Sandomir, Richard. “Marion Pritchard, Who Risked Her Life to Rescue Jews From Nazis, Dies at 96.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Dec. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/world/europe/marion-pritchard-rescuer-of-jews.html

Langer, Emily. “Marion Pritchard, Dutch Rescuer of Jewish Children during the Holocaust, Dies at 96.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 20 Dec. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/marion-pritchard-dutch-rescuer-of-jewish-children-during-the-holocaust-dies-at-96/2016/12/20/d5ca50e0-c61b-11e6-bf4b-2c064d32a4bf_story.html?utm_term=.4292c0cfa879

“Marion Pritchard, Dutch Savior.” The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, www.raoulwallenberg.net/saviors/others/marion-pritchard-dutch-savior/.