Every delay is for the best, says the Arab proverb, but Egyptian Dr. Mohamed Helmy would have likely been happy to have been recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" in his lifetime. Helmy died 31 years ago, and only recently — thanks to documents found in an archive in Germany — was it revealed how he saved Jews during World War II. Perhaps there's comfort in the belated revelation. Helmy is the first and only Arab who has received this recognition so far.
Coincidentally, this recognition comes 40 years after the October 1973 War and at a time when the cooperation between the Israeli and Egyptian governments is growing stronger. The recognition of the good doctor, even for deeds that occurred in a different reality, provides a warm note for the relations between the two neighbors.