Poland honors woman who saved 2,500 Jews

[Sapphire Blue]

Poland honors woman who saved 2,500 Jews
Sendler, 97, was tortured by Nazis, but refused to disclose children's names


Irena Sendler meets with a group of American students
who regularly perform a brief play about her life
in Warsaw in May 30, 2005.

Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland - A 97-year-old woman credited with saving 2,500 Jews during the Holocaust was honored by parliament Wednesday at a ceremony during which Poland's president said she deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

Irena Sendler, who lives in a nursing home in Warsaw, was too frail to attend the special session in which members of the Senate unanimously approved a resolution honoring her and the Polish underground Council for Assisting Jews.

The group's members, mostly Roman Catholics, risked their own lives to save Jews from the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Sendler was cited for organizing the "rescue of the most defenseless victims of the Nazi ideology — the Jewish children."

(snip)

"I think she's a great lady, very courageous, and I think she's a model for the whole international community," Israeli Ambassador David Peleg said after the ceremony. "I think that her courage is a very special one."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17607715/from/RSS/

[H2O Man]

1. Great!

Thank you for this.

Nominated.

[ThomCat]

2. That's awesome!

I'll have to see if I can find more about her. I'd love to know how successful she was in reuniting those kids with their families afterward.

[Sapphire Blue]

8. More on Irena Sendler from 'The Holocaust, Crimes, Heroes, and Villains'...

Irena Sendler - An Unsung Heroine

(excerpt)

The children were given false identities and placed in homes, orphanages and convents. Irena Sendler carefully noted, in coded form, the childrens original names and their new identities. She kept the only record of their true identities in jars buried beneath an apple tree in a neighbor's back yard, across the street from German barracks, hoping she could someday dig up the jars, locate the children and inform them of their past.

In all, the jars contained the names of 2,500 children ...

(snip)

But the Nazis became aware of Irena's activities, and on October 20, 1943 she was arrested, imprisoned and tortured by the Gestapo, who broke her feet and legs. She ended up in the Pawiak Prison, but no one could break her spirit. Though she was the only one who knew the names and addresses of the families sheltering the Jewish children, she withstood the torture, refusing to betray either her associates or any of the Jewish children in hiding.

Sentenced to death, Irena was saved at the last minute when Zegota members bribed one of the Germans to halt the execution. She escaped from prison but for the rest of the war she was pursued by the Gestapo.

After the war she dug up the jars and used the notes to track down the 2,500 children she placed with adoptive families and to reunite them with relatives scattered across Europe. But most lost their families during the Holocaust in Nazi death camps.

The children had known her only by her code name Jolanta. But years later, after she was honored for her wartime work, her picture appeared in a newspaper. "A man, a painter, telephoned me," said Sendler, "`I remember your face,' he said. `It was you who took me out of the ghetto.' I had many calls like that!"

http://www.auschwitz.dk/Sendler.htm

[ThomCat]

12. Thank you very much!

I'm very glad her story hasn't been lost to history.

[Sapphire Blue]

13. You're welcome, ThomCat! Please also see Post #7 for another link...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x409516#409625

[WiseButAngrySara]

22. What an amazing story! Awesome. ....n/t

[uppityperson]

3. k&r for a true hero.

[Rydz777]

4. Inspiring post

A beautiful old woman. Life sometimes provides a chance to show one's character and she seized it.

[undeterred]

5. shes a heroine

:cry:

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

6. Now THIS is a hero

Standing up to the Nazis usually meant death. God bless this lady. Here's a website commemorating some of these heroes of the holocaust, non-Jews who helped Jews to survive World War II. There's the amazing story of Father Pierre Marie Benoit in France who saved thousands by organizing factories to make false papers and an underground railroad to help Jews escape Europe. His story was written as a book called "The Impossible Mission".

http://www.holocaust-heroes.com/

[Sapphire Blue]

9. She was sentenced to death...

Sentenced to death, Irena was saved at the last minute when Zegota members bribed one of the Germans to halt the execution. She escaped from prison but for the rest of the war she was pursued by the Gestapo.

http://www.auschwitz.dk/Sendler.htm

[Behind the Aegis]

7. Some more info....

Life in a Jar -- The Irena Sendler Project

Irena Sendler -- An Unsung Heroine (has some pop-ups)

[wicket]

11. Thanks for the links

:thumbsup:

[Sapphire Blue]

14. Kick! Thanks for posting these links!

:kick:

[Behind the Aegis]

18. You are welcome!

Thanks for posting this story! Here is something else I found from one of the links...

Renata Zajdman and Elzbieta Ficowska - Child Survivors
Both Renata and Elzbieta were 'Hidden Children.' Renata survived in the streets of Warsaw until rescued and Bieta was taken out of the Warsaw Ghetto in a carpenter’s box at five months of age by Irena and the Underground Zegota. Bieta had a silver spoon put in the carpenter’s box by her parents, with her first name and birthdate. Bieta is active in care for Irena and both have visited Kansas and participated in ‘Life in a Jar’ presentations. Renata lives in Montreal and Bieta in Warsaw. Bieta is the President of the Children's Survivor group in Poland and recently presented Holocaust studies to over 200 high schools in Poland. Bieta works to bring tolerance studies to schools throughout the country. She recently helped Irena plan the schedule for the Life in a Jar trip to Poland.

http://www.irenasendler.org/team.asp

[ThomCat]

15. Thank you.

I hope that your post spurs a surge in donations.

[myrna minx]

16. Thank you. K&R. n/t

[wicket]

10. Bless her

:patriot:

[LeftishBrit]

17. What an inspirational person!

A real heroine. Thanks for all the info about her.

I'm so glad that she is being honoured while she is still alive.

[DemReadingDU]

19. What a great lady!

Thank you for sharing all the links!

[MonkeyFunk]

20. She's a wonderful lady...

and she's nominated for a Noble Peace Prize this year.

[WiseButAngrySara]

21. Wonderful woman. K&R. ....n/t