There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena got permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist.
She had an ulterior motive.
She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews (being German).
Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids). She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto.
The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.
During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.
She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely.
Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard.
After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most had been gassed.
Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.
Last year Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize.
She was not selected. Al Gore won --- for a slide show on Global Warming.
You can read more about her here.
8 comments:
Wow that's an amazing story Shawn! So many unsung heroes in that war. Thanks for sharing!
Such an incredible story. What a beautiful woman.
Wow indeed, and nicely tied together. A true hero worthy of recognition and praise, and I am not talking about Mr. Gore. Thank you for pointing this out, Shawn. Just goes to show you how lame things get when politics get involved! I look forward to reading more about Irena.
For years I read everything I could about these atrocities, always wondering how stong I would be if placed in the same situation. Would I risk my life to stand up for what I believe in, and help others, knowing the cost? Thanks for such a poignant reminder.
Thank you for telling that story in such meaningful words, with such feeling. I never heard of her before, and now I won't forget her. Too bad REAL people don't get to vote for REAL winners.
Thank you for this story. I really enjoyed reading it! *Sigh* Cannot believe Al Gore won over Irena. 2500 lives or going green? Politics over real people it is a shame!
My heart is touched reading Irena's story. Thank you for sharing her story with us, Shawn. People like her encourages us to be brave and stand strong for what is right, especially when evil feels so overwhelmingly powerful.
The last sentence in the post --> it's awesome. You managed to convey your opinion in a succint manner, pointing out the irony with plenty of wit.
Wow, I had never heard of her. How brave she was. Thanks for sharing this story.
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