Tuesday, February 22, 2011

So cool.

I came across this today and wanted to share.
image
Irena Sendler.
1910-2008
A 98 year-old Polish woman named Irena Sendler recently died. During WWII, Irena worked in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumbing/sewer specialist. Irena smuggled Jewish children out; infants in the bottom of the tool box she carried and older children in a burlap sack she carried in the back of her truck. She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers wanted nothing to do with the dog, and the barking covered the kids’ and infants’ noises. Irena managed to smuggle out and save 2500 children. She eventually was caught, and the Nazis broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar buried under a tree in her backyard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived and reunited some of the families. Most had been killed. She helped those children get placement into foster family homes or adopted.
In 2007 Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was not selected. Al Gore won - for a slide show on Global Warming.

9 comments:

Tracy said...

Can't believe she didn't win. What a hero, reading about her just inspires me and makes my heart happy.

Jessica said...

What an amazing and wonderful woman! So very brave.

Kerry said...

Why does that make me want to punch Al Gore in the face?

Rachael said...

THAT is who Al Gore beat out? Unbelievable. Seriously.

Lynn said...

I've heard her story many times, and it STILL brings me to tears. She is awesome!

Alyse and Carlos said...

Well, we know the Nobel Peace Prize is pretty much meaningless anyway. And let's face it...she's enjoying a much greater reward in the spirit world anyway. I love that picture of her. Thanks for sharing her story!

Kelly said...

There's a movie about Irena Sendler. I just borrowed it from my inlaws a few weeks ago and watched it. Powerful. Amazing woman.

Christal said...

Sad world when the value of life is overlooked for some stupid global warming crap. She is one of the many true heroes I love stories like hers I hope if I'd lived there during those days I would have been apart of the great work of saving others! What a beautiful women!

Anonymous said...

She was not German!

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