Lila Goles

Mrs. Jones

English

February 12, 2018

Generations to Come

Irena Sendler was a strong independent woman who stopped at nothing to save innocent

lives during the Holocaust. Irena Sendler was born in Warsaw, Poland on February 15, 1910. She

was an only child, born as Irena Krzyzanowska (C). Sendler was given educational funding after

her father died from a disease that a contagious patient of his had. She studied Polish literature at

Warsaw University (C). Sendler began to start her protests when she was young, and got

suspended from Warsaw University for public protest against the ghetto-bench system (C). Later,

Irena Sendler became a hero during World War II because she saved thousands of children, put

her life in danger to save others, and never stopped fighting against German soldiers.

Irena Sendler and her team had come up with different ways to save Jewish children.

Sendler helped lead an organization called Zegota in 1942-1945. Zegota was a network that

saved Jewish children from ghettos during World War II. Sendler was a leader in the group

which had about 30 volunteers, mostly women. Sendler saved 2,500 Jewish children through the

organization and made a huge impact on the community which she worked in (A). One of the

women that she saved said, “Mrs. Sendler saved not only us, but our children and grandchildren

and the generations to come.”(A2). She helped lead a strong program of a small amount of

people, and did everything that she could to save as many children as she could. Since she was a

social worker, she was allowed in and out of the ghettos, which made her job much easier (B).
Irena and her group used everything that they could to smuggle children out of their homes to

safe hiding places. The crying children didn't make their job any easier. They were an organized

group, and were always prepared for anything in their way. In some cases they would get a man

to drive a hospital car with a dog in it. The children would hide under the floorboards in the

back, and the dog would bark to drown out their cries (C). Other times they would smuggle

children out in coffins, so as not to draw much attention to what was inside (C).

Sendler, however, ran into some obstacles on the way. Although Zegota was a very

prepared, and careful group, Irena eventually got caught, and arrested on October 20, 1943 (B).

Sendler and her team had prepared for such events. Her code name was Jolanta, which was made

up just in case a situation like this happened. She used this name so they could not track her past,

and so that if they asked anyone about her, they would have the wrong name. She was placed in

Plawiak prison, and was questioned and tortured for information. While this happened, Sendler's

limbs had been broken, and fractured as part of torture. They wanted information on everyone in

Zegota, their names and address (C). Irena gave them the story that her and Zegota had made up

to cover their tracks. Still she was given the death sentence, but was able to escape. She did not

know this until later, but Zegota had bribed the executor to help Sendler escape. The Germans

announced her death, even though they knew she was still out there. After that they kept a close

eye on her (C).

Sendler kept track of every single child during and after the war. She gathered

information from their parents about relatives, so that incase the parents were dead after the war,

they would have family members to live with (C). Different articles made it clear that this group

did everything that they could to take care of these children. “Irena and her network made sure
that each family hiding a child realized the child must be returned to Jewish relatives after the

war.” (C3). Zegota saved so many children, and could not have done it without Sendler. They

gave these kids a fresh start, and a new life.

Sendler made it through the war, alive and healthy, with a story to tell, however Sendler

was not well known after the war. She was not remembered for her bravery, and she was

mentioned in only a few websites. This was until a group of students did a project on her and

made her known to the world (C). Sendler was honored by what these students had done for her.

“Nobody in my own country and in the whole world cared about my person and my work during

the war…” Irena Sendler said that after she was contacted by these students (C 4). Four students

made this project on Sendler. They made her story heard to the whole world. They wrote a novel

about her, and she was so surprised, and honored to be finally remembered (C). Sendler was

awarded the 2003 winner of the Jan Karski award for valor and courage (C). In 1965, she was

recognized as one of the first "so-called righteous gentiles honored by the Yad Vashem

Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.” There was an award ceremony on October 23rd, 1983, in

Washington when she was presented with the award (C).

Sendler died In Warsaw on May 12, 2008. She was 98. She was given proper dedication

from the executive vice president of the Jewish Foundation (A). Her son, who died in 1999, was

remembered as well. Her daughter, Janka, was by her side the whole time (C). Irena Sendler was

a hero to so many, and started new generations for thousands of families. She did everything that

she could, and risked her life to save the lives of others. Even though Sendler’s life could have

not been affected by the Holocaust, she still made herself involved in the war and become a hero.

She kept doing everything that she could do to save countless lives, and fight her enemy.
 Works Cited

"Facts About Irena - Life In A Jar." ​Life In A Jar​, 2018,

http://www.irenasendler.org/facts-about-irena/. (C)

Hevesi, Dennis. "Irena Sendler, Lifeline To Young Jews, Is Dead At 98." ​Nytimes.Com​, 2015,
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/world/europe/13sendler.html. (A)

"Irena Sendler - Stories Of Women Who Rescued Jews During The Holocaust - Righteous
Among The Nations - Yad Vashem." ​Yadvashem.Org​, 2018,
http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/righteous-women/sendler.asp. (B)