Martha Sharp

Martha Sharp. She was an American humanitarian and social worker who, alongside her husband Waitstill Sharp, executed daring rescue missions in Europe during the early years of World War II. Operating under the auspices of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, the Sharps helped hundreds of political dissidents, intellectuals, and children, primarily from Germany, France, and Czechoslovakia, escape persecution. Her courageous work, conducted at great personal risk, has been recognized internationally, notably by the state of Israel.

Early life and education

Born in Boston in 1905, she was raised in a family with a strong tradition of Unitarian faith and public service. She pursued her higher education at Wellesley College, graduating with a degree in social work, a field then gaining professional prominence in the United States. Her academic training and ethical convictions were further solidified through postgraduate studies and work with various Progressive social service organizations in New England. This foundation in principled activism prepared her for the extraordinary challenges she would later face on the international stage.

World War II rescue missions

In 1939, she and her husband were urgently recruited by the American Unitarian Association to establish a relief office in Prague. As the Nazi threat intensified following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, they assisted refugees, including political opponents like Social Democrats and targeted artists, in obtaining visas and funds for emigration. Their most famous operation involved escorting a group of children and adults, including the family of a former Czechoslovak minister, on a perilous train journey to safety. After the fall of France, she returned alone to Vichy-controlled Marseille in 1940, where she collaborated with other rescue networks, including the Emergency Rescue Committee, to secure passage for intellectuals and endangered children to Portugal and ultimately the United States.

Post-war life and legacy

Following the war, she remained deeply committed to humanitarian causes and international understanding. She was instrumental in the founding of the International Rescue Committee and continued to advocate for refugee rights throughout the Cold War. Alongside her husband, she helped establish the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee as a permanent humanitarian organization. Her life's work demonstrated the power of individual action against totalitarianism and inspired subsequent generations of human rights activists. The story of her missions was largely unknown until the late 20th century, when archival research and family efforts brought her contributions to public light.

Recognition and honors

Her heroism was formally recognized decades after the war's end. In 2006, she and her husband were posthumously honored as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, becoming only the second and third Americans to receive this distinction. This award followed a lengthy investigation and testimony from survivors they had saved. Her legacy is also commemorated through the Sharp Lecture Series and various educational programs. In 2012, a Congressional resolution honored their "courageous and heroic actions," and their story has been featured in documentaries and historical works, including the book *Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War*.

Personal life

She married Waitstill Sharp, a Unitarian minister, in 1927, and their shared values formed the bedrock of their partnership in rescue work. The couple had two children, whom they left in the care of others in the United States during their dangerous missions abroad. The strain of their wartime experiences contributed to the eventual dissolution of their marriage in 1954. She later lived in Providence, remaining active in community affairs until her death in 1999. Her papers and correspondence are held in collections at the Harvard Divinity School and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Category:American humanitarians Category:Righteous Among the Nations Category:World War II rescuers