Irena Sendler
Polish humanitarian who saved Jewish children during the Holocaust.
Mariusz Kubik · CC BY-SA 3.0
Irena Stanisława Sendler (née Krzyżanowska; 15 February 1910 – 12 May 2008), operating under the nom de guerre Jolanta, was a Polish humanitarian, social worker, and nurse who served in the Polish Underground Resistance during World War II in German-occupied Warsaw. From October 1943 she was head of the children's section of Żegota, the Polish Council to Aid Jews. She is best known for leading efforts to smuggle Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto and provide them with false identities and shelter, saving them from the Holocaust.
- born
- 15 February 1910, Warsaw
- died
- 12 May 2008
- field
- Humanitarian, social worker, nurse
- nationality
- Polish
- known_for
- Rescuing Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II; head of chi
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Sendler was born on 15 February 1910 in Warsaw, to Stanisław Henryk Krzyżanowski, a physician, and Janina Karolina Grzybowska. She studied law for two years and then Polish literature at the University of Warsaw, where she opposed the ghetto benches system and defaced the 'non-Jewish' identification on her grade card. From 1935 to October 1943, she worked for the Department of Social Welfare and Public Health of the City of Warsaw. During the war, she participated in smuggling Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto, providing them with false identity documents and shelter with willing Polish families, orphanages, and Catholic nun convents. In October 1943, she was arrested by the Gestapo but managed to hide the list of the names and locations of the rescued Jewish children. Withstanding torture and imprisonment, she never revealed anything about her work or the location of the saved children. She was sentenced to death but narrowly escaped on the day of her scheduled execution, after Żegota bribed German officials to obtain her release.
Reader's Guide
Irena Sendler's significance lies in her extraordinary courage and effectiveness in rescuing Jewish children during the Holocaust, a time when giving any kind of assistance to Jews in German-occupied Poland was punishable by death. As head of Żegota's children's section from October 1943, she coordinated a network of workers and volunteers from the Department of Social Welfare and Public Health, mostly women, who smuggled children out of the Warsaw Ghetto and found them safe havens. Her refusal to betray the children's identities under torture preserved their lives. After the war, she was recognized by the State of Israel as Righteous Among the Nations in 1965. Among the many decorations she received were the Gold Cross of Merit granted in 1946 for the saving of Jews and the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest honour, awarded late in her life for her wartime humanitarian efforts.
Did You Know?
- Sendler operated under the nom de guerre Jolanta during World War II.
- She was arrested by the Gestapo in October 1943 and sentenced to death, but escaped on the day of her scheduled execution after Żegota bribed German officials.
- While in the Warsaw Ghetto, she wore a Star of David as a sign of solidarity with the Jewish people.
- She was recognized by the State of Israel as Righteous Among the Nations in 1965.
- Sendler received the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest honour, late in her life for her wartime humanitarian efforts.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Irena Sendler?
Irena Sendler was a Polish social worker, nurse, and humanitarian who became a key figure in the Polish Underground Resistance during World War II. Operating under the alias "Jolanta," she dedicated herself to rescuing Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto under Nazi occupation.
What was Irena Sendler's role in the resistance?
From October 1943 onward, she led the children's division of Żegota, the Polish Council to Aid Jews. In that capacity she organized the covert extraction of Jewish children from the ghetto, arranging forged documents and safe hiding places for them.
How many children did Irena Sendler save?
She is credited with helping rescue several hundred Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Each child was given a false identity and placed with a Polish family or in a shelter outside the ghetto.
What was Żegota and how did Irena Sendler connect to it?
Żegota was a Polish underground organization established to provide aid to Jews targeted by the Nazi regime. Irena Sendler joined its ranks and eventually became the head of its children's section, where she coordinated rescue operations in occupied Warsaw.
Why is Irena Sendler remembered as a significant figure?
She is widely regarded as one of the most courageous humanitarian rescuers of the twentieth century because she risked her own life repeatedly to shield Jewish children from extermination. Her story highlights the moral courage of ordinary citizens who defied a genocidal regime from within occupied territory.
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