Irena Sendler has died

[hollister]

Irena Sendler, aged 98, the saviour of some 2500 Jewish children during the WWII, died in a Warsaw hospital on Monday morning.

Marek Edelman, the only remaining living leader of the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto uprising, told the Polish Radio that ‘her achievements surpassed the achievements of ordinary people’.

‘Irena Sendler was a great, kind-hearted woman who should be an example to every one’, Edelman said.

Irena Sendler’s excellent organisational skills she managed to save some 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto by providing them with false documents and sheltering them in individual and group children's homes outside the Ghetto.

Sendler encrypted and concealed the personal details of all of the children in glass jars, so that their true identities could be restores after the war.

In 1965, she was recognized by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations. She was also awarded the Commanders Cross by the Israeli Institute.

Irena Sendler was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, but lost to Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States. (mj)

www.polskieradio.pl/thenews/news/?id=82174

[Jaga]

Holly,

thanks for the update. At least her heroism was recongized before she died. Yes, she has to wait long for it, but many people were nevere recognized.

[Jaga]

here is Irena's photo:

[george]

Yes Irene Sendler died, and so little was ever known about her. What a shame. Now with her death many will know about her. Oscar Shindler had a movie made about him. He saved about 1200 Jews. Irene save approx. 2500 Jewish children. She was arrested and tortued. She had her legs and ankles broken, but she would not give up information. And nothing, nothing was ever known about her. Why!!!
Teenage kids form Kansas researched her and were amazed to find out she was still alive!! They performed a play about her which is still playing around the world. Imagine, it took a few teenage kids from Kanasas to tell her story. What a tradegy.
Why would a German industrialist who had a profit motive when he first decided to help Jews receive great recognition and this lonely old Polish lady nobody ever heard of was forgotten? Was it slander on the part of Poles who gave their all to save Jews. Wondering.

[tufta]

Hi George, I share your astonishment Irena Sendler is not at least as well know worldwide as Schindler. But this is releted to the special role of Hollywood in culture today. But I cannot agree she was forgotten or unknown. She was well known in Poland and Israel long before the Kansas students (not Hollywood...) have introduced her to American public.

[uncltim]

Perhaps those involved would not allow a positive message about a Christian motive???
Hmmm.

Tim

Lost to Al Gore! That really pisses me off!!! F*** Al Gore!!

[tufta]

May 12, 2008 15:15:25 GMT -7 uncltim said:

Perhaps those involved would not allow a positive message about a Christian motive???

Yes that is generally and without getting into more complicated detail what I think too.

[jimpres]

I would have rather seen Irena get the nobel prize instead of Gore.

[george]

Actually Tufta, Irene Sendler was NOT known very well in Poland until fairly recently. The fact that she was not known very long in Poland might be a subject for a long discussion in the future. Maybe someone could enlighten us on thissubject. The fact that she lived so long without any recognition sort of burns me. It was so unfair.

[tufta]

I understand and accept your disagreement. I have put it wrong. She was not well known in Poland. But not completely unknown. Let me rephrase it- she was not as well known as was ie. Oskar Schindler, another great saviour of Jewish children from the hands of Germans.

[uncltim]

HNN Headline news network
The Glenn Beck Show did a piece on Irena Sendlerowa!
It will air again tonight at midnight.Eastern time. 5/22/08

www.irenasendler.org