Inspiration: Irena Sendler

When someone tells you about World War II, Nazis, and Ghettos what is the first thing that you'd picture out?

Destruction

Death

Violence

Absolute hopelessness

Its innocent victims

Amidst all the chaos there was someone brave enough to face iron grip of the Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto. Who would have thought that a sweet looking woman like Irena Sendler could face evils of her time to save the Jewish children.

Irena Sendler

Irena managed to rescue 2500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. She manage to do this by smuggling them in her tool box and her truck (some sources say ambulance). Before the invasion of the Nazis, she was a social worker. It's easy to say that this woman certainly had a soft spot for those who are in need. Helping people in need from the grasp of poverty, hunger or domestic violence is routine act for her, but smuggling Jewish kids from the ghetto certainly was an extreme act of bravery.I bet she is thinking that she has already signed her own death certificate. Some people in Poland turned there backs from the ghettos hard reality, but not Irena.She managed to go inside the ghetto gained the trust of the German and the Jewish as well. She was practically asking mothers for their children with the hope that she might be able to give them a life. Irena played the cards well because she managed to rescue thousands before she got caught. When Irena's lucky streak run out, she was tortured by the Gestapo and was put to prison. Her spirit remained unbroken, she did not give away information that could harm her colleagues and the Jewish children that she gave fake identities. What you do will come back to you, and for Irena that remained true. She was about to be executed by the Germans but she was rescued by the Zegota. The Zegota by the way is an underground organization established by the Jews. Irena might have gotten out the grip of death and the solitude of prison but she was not a free woman. Throughout the span of the war she was on top of the Gestapo hit list. I'd be more than happy if I had an ounce of her bravery. She is such a braved soul she lived until the old age of 98. You might want to read this very moving article from the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/world/europe/13sendler.html?_r=0.

If you want to know more about her go to http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/irenasendler.html. They also made movie about the life Irena. This might be available at your local video store.

Irena Sendler "unsung heroine"

Irena has made it possible for thousands of children to live and had given hope for a generation to arise from the ashes and miseries of the Ghetto.  Even after her death she is still able to impact the world through organizations inspired by her such as the this http://www.irenasendler.com/ .


Irena risked her life to save others and that my friend is a person worth emulating. I hope by writing this blog entry I could also help in spreading her genuine heroic act. 

Reuters: Irena

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