Israel honors Jew-saving Nazi officer

JERUSALEM, April 11 (UPI) -- Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Monday honored a Nazi officer who saved 1,000 Jews from gas chambers in Lithuania, the BBC reported.

Army Major Karl Plagge, who died in 1957, was added to the memorial's list of 20,757 men and women recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" for rescuing Jews from annihilation by the SS.

His induction came as the result of work by U.S. doctor Michael Good, whose mother was among those spared in Vilnius.

The memorial twice rejected Good's petitions on Plagge's behalf because it required evidence the officer had taken a "considerable and conscious risk" to save Jews.

Good's search was difficult, looking for survivors scattered around the globe. He has documented his efforts in his recently published book, "The Search For Major Plagge: The Nazi Who Saved Jews."