Irena Sendler Saved Thousands of Jewish Children From the Nazis

The story of the bravest woman you’ve never heard of

A photograph of Jewish children in the Warsaw Ghetto by an unknown photographer, 1941 (Wikimedia Commons)

Rebelling against the Nazis was a dangerous thing to do. Imprisonment, torture, and execution awaited anyone who dared to resist them. But despite such terrifying consequences, some people were brave enough to fight back.

Irena Sendler was one of these individuals. As a citizen of Poland, she witnessed the Nazi invasion and watched in horror as her Jewish friends were punished and murdered. Fully aware that her life was on the line, Irena did her utmost to save as many Jewish children as possible.

The Warsaw Ghetto

Though Irena was a Christian, she grew up alongside many Jewish families, and when the Nazis invaded Poland in September 1939, she was appalled by their anti-Semitic policies. In addition to the new curfew laws, the Jews were barred from public spaces, and their places of worship were closed down.

Irena’s outrage increased when the Nazis established the Warsaw Ghetto in November 1940. Many of her Jewish friends from the Polish Free University were trapped inside. To prevent the Jews from escaping, the Nazis guarded the entrance and placed barbed wire and broken glass on top of the wall that surrounded the ghetto.