“We who were rescuing children are not some kind of heroes. That term irritates me greatly. The opposite is true – I continue to have qualms of conscience that I did so little. I could have done more. This regret will follow me to my death.”
“We all have to ask ourselves, “What would I have done?”. I agree with Wladyslaw Bartofszewski, one of the organizers of ZEGOTA, who said, “Only the dead have done enough.”
Irena Sendler was a polish nurse and social worker who saved 2500 Jewish children during the Holocaust. I have always read anything I could get my hands on about the Holocaust, beginning when I was about 12. I had heard of Irena and her rescue efforts, but then kept track on the news when once in 1999 she became even more famous when students in Kansas in the USA made a play about her. I have read books on her life and watched a movie on her life. Such an incredible woman. When she lost the Noble Peace Prize in 2007, I was so upset. She very much deserved that award. She has been awarded numerous awards before and after her death at age 98 in 2008. Look her up. Be inspired.
The book Irena’s Children by Tilar J Mazzeo was on the NEW stand at the library so I immediately picked it up this past week. It is a fast read. It’s hard to comprehend the immense courage of this woman. What also struck me for the first time was how many women social workers, librarians and nurses were the helpers, also helping were young teenage girls. Some died trying to save these children or in the uprising of the Warsaw ghetto. Irena herself was tortured and sentenced to death, but saved by the resistance and bribes. Still she feels she did not do enough.
This book speaks to what can be done in the face of unspeakable evil. Read it. You’ll be in awe. It is an inspiration to us to do more, to do better, to speak up.
Peace.
