During World War II the Red Cross would provide blood for wounded soldiers. They had a practice of giving the name of the donor to the recipient so that the soldier could write and thank the donor if he should desire.

The Red Cross also had a policy that the blood that was given would be made available to anyone who would need it. That meant that even enemy soldiers could have the blood to save their lives.

Because the names of the donors were available, the medics developed a custom when the blood was needed for a Nazi officer. When a Nazi officer needed blood the medics would find a bottle of blood whose donor had a Jewish name. They would tell the Nazi that they had the blood that was needed to save his life. Then they would tell him that the blood was from a Jewish donor. Most of the Nazi officers would receive the blood but there were some who absolutely refused to receive it into their veins.

Adapted from Parables, Etc. (Platteville, Colorado: Saratoga Press), June 1985.