2010 sees the centenary of the birth of Irena Sendler, Righteous Among the Nations, who helped to save 2500 Jewish children from the Holocaust.

“We had to act very subtly and carefully because the children were terrified, scared and dreadfully missed their mother, father, grandmother and the whole family. Unceasingly, we had to remind them that ››your name has changed and you’re not Rachela anymore but Zosia now‹‹. It was a very difficult experience for us [adults] let alone how shocking it had to be for the children” - said Irena Sendler.

Those who knew her say that she was “modest, cheerful and always emphasizing that she wouldn’t have been able to save anybody if it hadn’t been for help of other people”. Between 1939 – 1942 while working as a social worker in a town hall in Warsaw, she organized on her own a net of 20 social workers. They led many Jewish children out of the ghetto and found them a place on the “Aryan side” of the city: in some families, orphanages and convents. Irena Sendler used to write down details on every led out child on a slip of paper and kept them hidden in a jar. So she would be able to find out their real identities after the war.

Please visit the special Web site we have established to commemorate this brave woman. We look forward to your comments.

Our e-mail address: sprawiedliwi@jewishmuseum.org.pl