Suzanne Spaak Selflessness

Selflessness is defined as “concern more with the needs of others than with one’s own” (dictionary.com). Suzanne Spaak is the perfect example of selflessness. She was willing to die for a meaningful cause she believed in: rescuing Jews throughout the Holocaust. Spaak did whatever she could to help the struggling Jews, and joined an underground movement that’s goal was to put an end to racism. She risked all that she had to stand up for what she believed in, putting all personal problems aside, to do what she knew in her heart was right. Because of her willingness to do whatever it took to help, many innocent children and adults’ lives were saved. By examining Spaak’s selflessness, bravery, and persistence, it is clear that she was indeed full of moral courage.

Spaak was born into a high class Belgian banking family, and was accustomed to a high standard of living. Her husband, Claude, was a filmmaker and they had two children whom she found great fulfillment in raising. She was enraged at the Nazi oppression and racial intolerance that she had seen. “My children are safe while others are threatened” (Cole, 1). She soon acted on that anger, by joining the underground National Movement Against Racism (MNCR). While there, she walked the streets

She didn’t think of it as a burden to help, but rather as a responsibility and personal duty. Living in the high class family that she did, it would’ve been simple for her to ignore the struggles going on. They didn’t involve her, and certainly should not have mattered to her. But, in her heart, she knew that what was happening wasn’t right. Spaak was noble, audacious, and most of all, filled with moral courage. I cannot imagine having the fearlessness to die for someone that I know, and certainly not for people that I do not know. The bravery that she displayed by doing this has made an impact on