Irena Sendler is another amazing woman I greatly admire. I first learned about her as an adult. It was a couple of years ago when my daughter was young. And it might have been a facebook video talking about her life. I heard how these 3 high school girls discovered her story and started sharing her forgotten and overlooked sacrifices. Life in a Jar is on my list of need to read. (I’m thinking my next book club pick)
Irena Sendler lived in Poland during World War II. She was able to enter the Warsaw Ghetto as a nurse checking for signs of typhus, something the Germans feared. While examining conditions she took in supplies to Jews. She also worked hard to smuggle babies and children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. With the help of others she was able to rescue 2,500 children and place them with people who could look after them. They were given Christian names and taught Christian beliefs to keep them safe.
She also kept careful records of their real names, Christian names, and locations so she could reunited the children with their parents after the war. This was especially dangerous because anyone helping Jews would be put to death. Yet she continued to help by creating false medical records, helping children escape, and other work to help fight evil. She was eventually caught by Gestapo, where she was beaten. But she did not reveal the names or places of the children despite being tortured. She was rescued by friends who bribed German officers on the way to her execution.
My daughter doesn’t know just how terrible the Holocaust really was. But we did teach her about Anne Frank and how the Jews were treated unfairly because they were different. She knows roughly that there were bad people called Nazi’s who didn’t like people who were different than them. She learned about Molly, an American girl, whose father served in England during World War II, where Americans and others fought against the Nazi’s.
My daughter does know that Irena Sendler rescued Jewish children. It must have been so hard for mothers to hand their babies over and pray that they would be kept safe. When my daughter grows up she will learn about the horrors of the war. We will take her to The Museum of Tolerance where she can better understand history, the war, and this heroic woman.
Until then she can learn about Irena Sendler and know that this woman helped children even though her life was at risk. And we can strive to be like her by helping others. And that even though we might be different faiths or come from different countries we should always serve and help each other. I’m am so thankful there are people in the world like Irena Sendler. I wish there wasn’t such evil. Irena is a hero. What a scary time to live in when you life was in jeopardy if you opposed such evil. And yet she couldn’t stand by and not help innocent people. She chose to do the right thing. And then to be tortured but to continue to keep those children safe. I’m so thankful her life was spared as she went on to continue to help others.
I do want to check out this book Jars of Hope so we can continue to remember Irena Sendler and how she saved 2,500 children. This book is perfect for school aged children.
You can check out other amazing woman in the series like Malala and Harriet Tubman. I would love to hear about someone you admire and want to teach your children about. Share it in the comments below.
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