Apr 27, 2007 -- More than six decades after the Holocaust, and after thousands of books and countless hours of research and testimony, one is tempted to believe that this dreadful period in Jewish history doesn't have any more secrets to reveal. But even a broad, thoroughly researched period such as the Shoah has unexplored crevices. One of these is the rescue of Jews by Arabs. In a captivating talk on Wednesday night at Schottenstein Cultural Center, co-sponsored by the Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Scholar-in-Residence Program at Stern College for Women, the Program in Holocaust and Human Rights Studies at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Dr. Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute, an expert on US Middle East Policy, and author of “Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust’s Long Reach into Arab Lands,” spoke poignantly about this previously unexplored aspect of the Shoah as exemplified by the stories of rescuers and those they saved. “It brings me great joy and pride to help bring to light forgotten and lost stories which reflect the contributions and heroism of Arabs in helping Jews during the Holocaust,” said Dr. Satloff. “My hope and ambition is that these positive stories of Arabs standing up for human rights and protecting Jews in their darkest hour will help untangle the web of lies put forth by Holocaust deniers throughout the Arab world.” Anny Boukris and her parents, and Khaled Abdul-Wahhab were the protagonists in one such story. Mr. Abdul-Wahhab, the son of a well-known writer, was 32-years old when the Germans occupied his native Tunisia. He learned that a German officer wanted to rape a beautiful Jewish woman named Odette Boukris, Anny’s mother, whose family Mr. Abdul-Wahhab vaguely knew. The Boukrises, who had already been evicted from their home by German troops, had sought refuge in an olive press factory with other Jews. Abdul-Wahhab, who heard that the Germans were going to raid the factory, got there first, warned the Jews hiding there, and that evening ferried 24 people in his car from the factory to his family farm. There he protected them for the rest of the German occupation. Khaled Abdul-Wahhab has become the first Arab to be nominated for recognition as “righteous among the nations” by Yad Vashem, the Israel Holocaust Memorial. This honor is given to non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust. Of more than 21,000 righteous, there has never been an Arab. The evidence and testimonials Dr. Satloff collected in the process of writing his book led to Abdul-Wahhab’s nomination. The same evening Dr. Morton Lowengrub, YU's Vice President for Academic Affairs presented a serigraph to Faiza Abdul-Wahhab on behalf of the university in recognition of what her father did. The quote on the serigraph reads Whoever Saves a Single Soul, Scripture Ascribes Merit As Though They Saved a Complete World. Anny Boukris, who was 11-years old at the time, and Khaled Abdul-Wahhab never saw each other after the war and are now both dead, but their daughters, who attended Wednesday's event, met thanks to Dr. Satloff. Anny’s daughter, Nadia Bijaoui, recalls her mother telling her that Khaled “arranged for a rabbi to come occasionally to the farm for Shabbat.” Anny’s daughter notes that, “Faiza (Abdul-Wahhab)’s father and my mother had the same goal – peace between Jews and Arabs. Says Faiza Abdel-Wahhab, it is important to “love your neighbor as thyself and to respect one another.” Click here to read the coverage in Newsday Click here to read the coverage in the Jerusalem Post Click here to read the coverage in the Jewish Week