Irena Sendler

Old Irena Sendler (http://billtammeus.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834515f9b69e20168e5ce4038970c-800wi ())

Irena Sendler

By Megan Schneider

A hero: A person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. A hero is someone who selflessly stands up for what they believe in, risks their lives to help improve the lives of others for no personal benefit. Irena Sendler is a perfect example of a TRUE hero who has done something worthwhile. She was born on February 15, 1910 in Warsaw, Poland during the period of World War II. She participated in the Polish underground and the Zegota resistance to help save Jews from their deadly fate in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Irena Sendler was not your everyday Catholic, Polish woman during the era of World War II. She lived in Warsaw, Poland during her main years of activity. She worked as a plumber/sewer specialist in the Warsaw Ghetto which was filled with half a million Jewish people who would soon be sent to and killed in concentration camps. She had snuck 2,500 Jewish children and infants from their fate to freedom and safety. She placed infants in her toolbox and bigger children in a sack in the rear of her truck, which was guarded by her dog. When Nazis allowed her to enter and leave the ghetto, the dog barked when near Nazis to cover whatever noises the children would make.

Unfortunately, her deeds were discovered by the Nazis.  She was horrifically tortured, having both her arms and legs broken and she had also been horribly beaten. On top of that, she was sentenced to death. However, many underground workers bribed the Nazis who guarded her and eventually set her free. In between the smuggling of children, she kept the names of the kids she rescued in a glass jar that she had buried outside in her yard. After the war diminished, she attempted to relocate them with their families (the majority of them were dead.) If their families were deceased, she would try to have them adopted.

This lady's actions greatly inspired me, since half of my family was killed in World War II.  She once said, "Every child saved with my help is the justification of my existence on this Earth, and not a title to glory." Her actions inspire me to help people no matter how harsh the consequences, because I am just one person, but imagine how much one person could affect 2,500 lives in a deep and meaningful way. This person motivates me to forget my minor setbacks and to go out and save all these helpless people that don't deserve to live the way they do. I shall aspire to be like this selfless, heroic person one day.  

Very few people carry the weight of stories, bravery, and horrors this woman has gone through. I cannot imagine how selfless a person had to be to risk their life 2,500 times, and I know these people are  rare to find these days. Irena's actions are timeless and she deserved way more recognition than she got, and however, will be remembered in our hearts forever.

Works Cited

"Irena Sendler (1910 - 2008)." Irena Sendler (1910 - 2008). Web. 21 May 2012. .

"Irena Sendler." Snopes.com:. Web. 21 May 2012. .

"Irena Sendler." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 May 2012. Web. 21 May 2012.