The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler

Not long ago, I rewatched The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, a Hallmark Hall of Fame production originally broadcast by CBS on April 19, 2009. It is based on the biography written by Anna Mieszkowska, Mother of the Children of the Holocaust: The Irena Sendler Story.

Irena Sendler’s story is almost unbelievable, but it is true.

During World War II, she was an activist of the Polish anti-Holocaust resistance in Warsaw, where she helped to save more than 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto by providing them with false documents and hiding places in individual and group homes outside of the Ghetto.

Irena Sendler got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumber. She courageously smuggled babies in her tool box and carried larger children in her sack. She also trained her dog to bark when the Nazi soldiers were near, which muffled the sounds of the crying children.

Sendler kept a record of the children’s names in a glass jar buried under a tree in her yard.

Ultimately, the soldiers caught and beat her severely, breaking both of her legs. She persevered and attempted to connect any parents with their children, yet most of the parents had been killed. Most of the children were placed into foster family homes or adopted.

The most amazing part of the story: Two years ago, Sendler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize but was not selected.

Al Gore won for his presentation on global warming. (Laura’s note: I have nothing against Al Gore).

Sendler died in 2008. What I learned: These are the stories that we must keep telling.

You can read more about Sendler here: http://www.irenasendler.org/

What stories, in your opinion, do we need to keep telling more of?

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Tagged as: Global Cultures, History, Irena Sendler, Laura Cococcia, Women and Empowerment