The words spoken by Irena Sendler could not have been quoted at a more fitting time than now. It was as if she foresaw what could happen in the future, and during one of her speeches while accepting the Jan Karski Award, she appealed for the remembrance of the events that took place during World War II. Today, we witness a tragedy beyond our eastern border. For several months, there has been a war in Ukraine. Every day, more cities are being destroyed, and the number of civilian casualties is rising.
"I would like the memory of many noble people who risked their lives to save their Jewish brothers, whose names no one remembers, to be preserved. But our memory and that of future generations must also retain the image of human vileness and hatred that led people to betray their neighbors and murder. My dream is for this memory to serve as a warning to the world, so that a similar human tragedy never happens again," Irena Sendler said in 2003.
Raised by a Doctor Father, She Knew How to Help Others
Irena Sendler was born on February 15, 1910, in Warsaw. She grew up in Otwock, where her father, Stanisław Henryk Krzyżanowski, a doctor by profession, was the director of a sanatorium. When she was seven years old, her father passed away, and Sendler moved with her mother to Piotrków Trybunalski, where they had family. In 1927, she enrolled at the University of Warsaw. After two years in the Faculty of Law, she transferred to Polish studies in the Faculty of Humanities. She interrupted her studies in 1932 and resumed them five years later. In the meantime, Irena Krzyżanowska married Mieczysław Sendler.
"I knew my father for a short time, but I remember from my childhood that he often said that people are not divided by race or origin, but by good and bad. And the second maxim that he drilled into my child’s head was: Remember that if someone is drowning, you must extend your hand to them," Irena Sendler said in Polish Radio in 2005.
Irena Sendler Saved Hundreds of Jewish Children. "I Am Not a Hero"
"I learned to help those in need at home. Therefore, I am not a hero," she added on Polish Radio. Sendler is recognized as one of the most renowned Polish Righteous Among the Nations – her name is endorsed by 28,000 people. This title is awarded to non-Jewish individuals who helped Jewish people during World War II. It is the highest Israeli honor.
During the war, she worked in the underground. She was part of the Council for Aid to Jews, "Żegota." She joined them in 1942. In October 1943, she was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in Pawiak, but she was released by the Council. Sendler then became Klara Dąbrowska, changed her residence, and continued collaborating with "Żegota." Her actions included rescuing Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. Some sources claim she saved over 2,500 lives during the war. To help others, she and Irena Schultz managed to obtain identification cards as employees of the sanitary column fighting infectious diseases in the ghetto. These credentials allowed her to enter the ghetto until January 1943. During this time, they delivered food, clothing, and around 1,000 vaccine doses.
"I created a group of five friends who were deeply affected; it was hard not to be moved when children were being shot. We created and operated, deceiving the Germans, of course. The sanitary authorities oversaw the ghetto. Then [people - ed.] were few, and more were needed. So, these ten people had passes, signed by the Germans," Sendler herself recounted in an interview with Wilnoteka about those times.
Irena Sendler's Actions and Her Group's Efforts Saved Many Lives. How Did They Do It?
"I organized about twenty Polish homes, good Poles who took in these children. I called it Emergency Care because the children went straight from the ghetto. They had to get used to a different culture. The youngest girl was six months old when she was taken out in a box. Usually, I arranged with the director of the sanitary office that he would provide a car to transport supplies. At the same time, unfortunately, we hid the children in a box or a bag," she described.
"Hitler created hell throughout Poland, but he created an even greater hell for the Jews, and the greatest hell for the children, the most defenseless beings," she emphasized in another conversation.
"Few people set such a high bar for themselves in being decent. Mrs. Irena is an extremely noble, brave, and energetic person," said Prof. Michał Głowiński, a historian of Polish literature, on Polish Radio. Later, Irena Sendler was placed on the so-called proscription list. These lists contained the names of people suspected of leftist views, communist activity, or Jewish origins.
Elegant Appearance, Large Sums of Money. She Was Arrested by the Gestapo on Charges of Communist Activity, Held in Pawiak for About Four Weeks, Released... Before the Arrest, She Worked at the Health Center on Grochowska Street. Decisive Communist
During the Warsaw Uprising, she was in Mokotów. Until September, she served as a nurse at a sanitary point on Łowicka Street 51, and later on Fałata Street 4. Thanks to bribery, the wounded and sick were taken to Okęcie, where a hospital point was established, instead of the camp in Pruszków.
Irena Sendler After the War. Family, Honors, and Accolades
After the war, Irena Sendler separated from Mieczysław Sendler but reunited with him after a few years. She gave birth to two sons and a daughter, Janina. One of her sons, Andrzej, died shortly after birth, and her other son, Adam (1951-1999), had heart problems.
She worked in the Department of Social Welfare and was active in the Women's League. In the City National Council, she chaired committees on widows and orphans and health. She was also a member of the National League to Combat Racism, founded by "Żegota" activists. In 1946, she was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit for saving Jews.
A year later, she joined the Polish Workers' Party. In 1948, she became a member of the Polish United Workers' Party. In the 1950s, she held various positions, including in the Department of Social Welfare in the Association of Invalids, the Department of Health and Social Welfare of the Presidium of the National Council of the capital city of Warsaw, and the Department of Secondary Medical Schools in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Sendler's daughter, Janina Zgrzembska, said that her mother planned to emigrate to Israel after 1956. This idea arose due to the anti-Semitic sentiments in Poland. In the 1980s, she joined the NSZZ Solidarity. She was also a founding member of the Association Against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia "Open Republic."
In January 2007, Irena Sendler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Her candidacy was repeated a year later. Irena Sendler passed away on May 12, 2008. She was 98 years old.
