Extraordinary Women of Our Time

Irena Sendler

Irena Sendler is known for her humanitarian work, most notably from the World War II era. She worked as a health care worker in Poland and was given permission to travel back and forth between the Warsaw Ghetto (at a time when Jews were forbidden to leave it). From 1942 to 1943 she smuggled an amazing 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto, gave them false identities, and found temporary homes for them within orphanages, convents, and other Polish families. She even kept their real identities in jars that she buried in the ground.

In 1943 the Gestapo captured, imprisoned, and tortured her for her humanitarian efforts. But her spirit of courage could not be broken. She survived World War II and was later nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Irena Sendler sadly passed away in 2008, but she will continue to inspire generations both now and in the future.