GOOD NIGHT IRENE
Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker
I was reading about this amazing woman, Irena Sendler, and wanted to share her incredible story with you. You know that old song, “Goodnight Irene”? Well, it reminded me of her – a real-life hero whose story deserves to be widely known.
Irena, born in 1910 in Poland, was a remarkable person. After her father passed away, the Jewish community, recognizing his kindness, helped support her education.
During World War II, she cleverly used her job in the Warsaw ghetto (she worked with plumbing and sewers!) as a cover to rescue children. She knew what the Germans was doing to the Jews and so she came up with a plan.
She’d sneak babies out in her toolbox and bigger kids in burlap sacks hidden in her truck! She even had a smart dog that would bark loudly to cover the kids’ noises whenever she passed through Nazi checkpoints. Can you believe it? She saved around 2,500 children!
Incredibly, she was eventually caught by the Gestapo and brutally beaten. Plus they broke both of her legs and both arms.
Despite everything, she kept a record of every child’s name, carefully tucked away in a jar buried in her backyard. After the war, she dedicated herself to reuniting these children with any surviving family members, though sadly, most parents had perished. The children she rescued were then placed into foster homes or adopted.
It’s a shame she never won the Nobel Peace Prize although she was nominated for it. Beating her out was Barack Obama.
It seems sometimes the most deserving people don’t get the recognition they deserve.
But Irena Sendler’s heroism is something that shouldn’t be forgotten. She deserves to be remembered as one of history’s true heroes, a woman who risked everything to save thousands of innocent lives. Her courage and compassion are incredibly inspiring.
There was a 2009 movie about this lady’s courageous actions called The Courageous Heart of Irene.
Have you heard of Irene Sendler? She saved many lives risking her own. If you have heard about this heroic lady, do you remember this story and believe she needs remembered? Let me know and I will give you a Penny for your Thoughts.
