Irena Sendler

Irena Sendler, née Krzyżanowska was born on 15 February 1910 in Warsaw. Her father, a medical doctor and social activist, ran a sanatorium for people suffering from tuberculosis in Otwock. He often treated patients free of charge.

“When a person is drowning, you ought to give them a hand,” Irena Sendler used to say about the values she had been taught at her family home.

In the early 1930s, Irena got married and embarked on a professional career—she started working in the legal department of the Mother and Child Assistance Division at the Free Polish University [Wolna Wszechnica Polska].

From 1935, she was employed as a social worker at the Warsaw Department of Social Welfare and Public Health. She devoted special attention to young women and homeless single mothers. She supported them and instructed them, e.g., how to prevent venereal diseases or unwanted pregnancy.

From 1941, escape from the ghetto and hiding outside its walls was punishable by death. Germans also punished those who helped Jews hide. Attempts to escape were made mainly in 1942, when the so-called Great Liquidation Action, i.e. deportations of the ghetto residents to extermination camps, took place.

During this period, Irena Sendler and her colleagues from the Social Welfare Department made efforts to help people, and children in particular—they would lead them out of the ghetto and seek shelter on the so-called "Aryan side."

The children taken out of the ghetto were directed to Polish families or care facilities. False referrals were signed by Jan Dobraczyński, head of the Social Welfare Department. His contacts with the directors of these facilities were very precious.

Finding a safe hideout on the so-called “Aryan side” was extremely difficult and had to be done in secret, both from the Germans and the Polish community. The majority of Poles, absorbed by their daily struggles, remained passive in the face of the Holocaust. Only a few decided to help Jews. There were also those who cooperated with Germans and denounced Jews who remained in hiding.

Most likely in January 1943 Irena Sendler contacted Julian Grobelny aka "Trojan," chairman of "Żegota," who encouraged her to cooperate. Thanks to her efforts, the liaison officers received financial support and continued assistance as part of the "Żegota" children's branch that was established at the time.

Irena Sendler lived with the Palesters in Warsaw district of Mokotów. She was there when the Warsaw Uprising broke out on 1 August 1944. Until September, she served as a nurse in a medical aid unit on Fałata Street.

Adam Celnikier, Irena’s second husband whom she had once helped in the ghetto, hid together with her under the name Zgrzembski. The entire group managed to avoid being deported to the camp in Pruszków; they ended up in Okęcie where they co-ran a makeshift hospital.

She had two sons and a daughter with Stefan Zgrzembski. One of the boys died soon after birth, the second suffered from heart disease and passed away in the 1990s. In the early 1960s, Sendler reunited with her first husband, Mieczysław Sendler.

From 1968, Poland and Israel had not maintained diplomatic relations. Irena Sendler did not visit Jerusalem until 1983. When she finally did, she planted her own tree at Yad Vashem. It stands right at the entrance to the Garden of the Righteous.

"A tree on a mountain in Jerusalem is even more than a monument. The monument could be destroyed, and the Memorial Tree will always grow," said Irena Sendler during the ceremony.

Despite official awards, the accomplishments of Irena Sendler remained unknown for many years. It wasn't until the year 2000 that her story was rediscovered and began to spread. Since then, many films have been made about her life, she has been awarded numerous awards, and in 2007 and 2008 she was submitted as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2007, she received the Order of the Smile, an international prize awarded by children. As Sendler stated: “It is the nicest award I have ever received." The initiator of this award was Szymon Płóciennik, a teenage boy at that time. According to tradition, prior to being presented with the order, Irena Sendler had to drink lemon juice and smile.

Irena Sendler died on 12 May 2008. Since then, her life and accomplishments have been commemorated in various ways. She is a patron of streets, avenues, squares, schools and awards, and her image is presented on murals, coins and postage stamps. These commemorations are run by state or local governments, as well as by grass-root initiatives.

Irena Sendler continues to unite people and to inspire them. The wartime activities of her and her numerous associates testify to the unique power of spirit demonstrated by very few during the Holocaust. They provided help despite threats, death penalty, indifference and often hostility towards Jews.

"I wish that the memory of many noble people who risked their lives and saved Jewish brothers, but whose names nobody remembers, would live on. But the cruelty and hatred that drove people to denounce their neighbours and murder one another must be kept in our memory and in the memory of future generations. We witnessed indifference to the tragedy of those who perished. I do hope that this memory serves as a warning to the world. Let us hope that a similar tragedy will never happen again," said Irena Sendler upon receiving the Jan Karski Award in 2003.