For most of his childhood, Ephraim Kochba did not know the full story of how he had survived the Holocaust. Only years later did he learn that his biological parents had been murdered and that a Christian woman in the Netherlands had taken him in as a baby, protected him through the war and documented his earliest years in a deeply personal diary.
Now, more than eight decades later, Yad Vashem has decided to recognize that woman, Jacqueline Mintz, as Righteous Among the Nations.
For Kochba, who turns 83 next week, the decision closes a circle that began during World War II. “I was deeply moved to receive this wonderful news from Yad Vashem,” he said. “On behalf of the entire family, I thank them for closing an 83-year circle. Symbolically, I will celebrate my 83rd birthday next week, and this is the most moving gift I could receive.”
Kochba was born in the Netherlands during the war to his biological parents, the Van Coevorden family. As the danger to Jews intensified, his mother entrusted him to her Christian friend Jacqueline and her partner, Max, with the understanding that if his parents did not survive, the couple would raise him as their own.
At the time, however, Max was being held at the Westerbork transit camp, leaving Jacqueline alone with the baby. Despite the danger and the harsh conditions, she cared for Kochba and gave him a safe and loving home.
It was Jacqueline’s first experience of motherhood, as she had no children of her own. During the Holocaust, she kept a diary chronicling Kochba’s development step by step, from his first smile to the small moments of daily life. She preserved photographs, a lock of his hair and written memories of the child who had effectively become her son.
Childhood photos of Ephraim
(Photo: Yad Vashem)
A life rediscovered
Toward the end of the war, Kochba’s biological parents were murdered. After a legal custody battle, he was transferred to surviving members of his biological family. At age 4, he immigrated to Israel, where he built his life. Only many years later did he learn the full story of his rescue.
After completing his military service, Kochba met his foster father in the Netherlands. He later received the childhood diary Jacqueline had written, which was translated into Hebrew. For Kochba, reading it meant confronting his own life story as it had been recorded in real time.
Now, more than 80 years after Jacqueline protected him, Yad Vashem’s Commission for the Designation of the Righteous Among the Nations has decided to grant her the title. Her name will be engraved on the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations in Jerusalem, recognizing her decision to save a Jewish child despite the personal risk she faced.
Ephraim Kochba
(Photo: Yad Vashem)
“I greatly appreciate Yad Vashem’s determination and care in advancing the recognition of Jacqueline, who is very deserving of it,” Kochba said. “We are very happy it succeeded.”
Jacqueline joins the thousands of non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Since Yad Vashem began its recognition program, more than 28,700 people have been named Righteous Among the Nations. Poland has the highest number, with 7,318 recognized rescuers, followed by the Netherlands with 6,137. France has 4,303 and Ukraine 2,713. At the other end of the list are countries with only a handful of recognized rescuers. Brazil, China, Chile and Ireland each have two, while Egypt, Vietnam and Armenia each have one.
Yad Vashem stresses that the number recognized in each country does not necessarily reflect the full extent of rescue efforts there.
The wall at Yad Vashem’s Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, engraved with the rescuers’ names
(Photo: Yad Vashem)
Only one remains in Israel
More than eight decades after the end of the Holocaust, the generation of rescuers has almost disappeared. As of April 2026, only one Righteous Among the Nations living in Israel was still receiving a benefit from the National Insurance Institute.
Those living in Israel are entitled to a monthly payment equal to the average wage, currently 13,769 shekels, along with additional benefits. Their names are also commemorated at Yad Vashem.
Cases from the wartime period continue to be reviewed even today, as newly discovered documents and testimony can shed light on rescue stories that remained unrecognized for decades.