Two Jewish brothers, Isidor and Nathan Straus convinced Rowland H. Macy to allow them to run a concession in the basement of his store on 14th St. By 1896 they were the sole owners of Macy's. They were the first businessmen in American to form a mutual aid society to help their employees with medical care. They were well known for their devotion to social welfare, in the U.S. and Israel. Isidor and his wife, Ida, died on the Titanic when it hit an iceberg in 1912. "Mrs. Strauss had a chance to be saved, but she refused to leave her husband", a Titanic survivor reported. Nathan built food pantries and helped found the Joint Distribution Committe and provided money for the establishment of the Jerusalem Health Center. Straus Street in Jerusalem is named in Honor of Nathan and Lina Straus. The Israeli coastal city Netanya, founded in 1928, was named in honor of Nathan Straus. Read more about the philanthropic owners of Macy's: https://aish.com/macys-moguls-the-straus-brothers (fb)

Rafuel Lowy, a winemaker who lived in Bardejov and served as long-time president of the Bardejov Jewish community, met with the Jewish council to ensure that the Jews of his town could be spared from death. He was able to secure the Jewish boys and keep them working in the town brewery, but then another dilemma emerged: The Jewish girls – all 300 of them – were ordered to hand themselves over to go work in a shoe factory in east Slovakia. The winemaker discovered that there was no shoe factory – the girls were going to be taken to Auschwitz. He knew he had to act. In a new film called, “Bardejov,” Rafuel’s fascinating story of hope is revealed for the first time to audiences, inspiring them at a time when hope is needed most. Read more about Rafuel's heroism here: https://aish.com/saving-the-jews-of-bardejov/ (fb)