Beneath our feet, the very stones whisper tales of Irena Rokicińska. But who was she? This memorial plaque honors Irena Rokicińska. It marks a life dedicated to humanity.
Irena Sendler, also known as Irena Sendlerowa, was born Irena Krzyżanowska on February 15, 1910. Warsaw was her birthplace. She died May 12, 2008. She was a Polish nurse. She was a humanitarian and social worker. During World War II she served in the Polish Underground in German-occupied Warsaw. From October 1943, she headed the children’s section of Żegota. Żegota was the Polish Council to Aid Jews.
Irena Sendler’s work involved immense personal risk. From October 1941, helping Jews in German-occupied Poland was punishable by death. This applied not only to the person providing help. It extended to their entire family. Poland was the sole country under German occupation with such a harsh penalty.
Assisted by about two dozen Żegota members, Sendler smuggled approximately 2,500 Jewish children. These children were rescued from the Warsaw Ghetto. She provided them with false identity documents and shelter outside the Ghetto. This action saved them from the Holocaust. Besides diplomats issuing visas to help Jews flee, Sendler saved more Jews than anyone else during the Holocaust.
Sendler, known as Jolanta, was nominated to head Żegota’s Jewish children’s section in August 1943. As a Social Welfare Department employee, she could enter the Warsaw Ghetto. She checked for typhus signs. She wore a Star of David to show solidarity with the Jewish people. Under the guise of sanitary inspections, Sendler and her co-workers smuggled out babies and small children. They used ambulances, trams, packages, suitcases, and various methods.
Jewish children found refuge with Polish Christian families. They were placed in the Warsaw orphanage of the Sisters of the Family of Mary. Some went to Roman Catholic convents, such as the Little Sister Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conceived Immaculate. The children were given fake Christian names. They were taught Christian prayers. Sendler aimed to preserve their Jewish identities. She kept detailed records. These listed the children’s fake Christian names, given names, and current location.
American historian Debórah Dwork called Sendler the prime mover for the network that saved 2,500 Jewish children. Sendler herself directly smuggled out about 400 children. She and her co-workers buried lists of hidden children in jars. This helped track identities. The goal was to reunite the children with their original families after the war.
In 1943, the Gestapo arrested Sendler. As her house was ransacked, Sendler tossed the lists of children to a friend. The friend hid the list. She avoided Gestapo searches. Sendler was sentenced to death by firing squad. Żegota bribed guards. This saved her life. After her escape, she hid. She returned to Warsaw under a fake name. She continued her work with Żegota. During the Warsaw Uprising, she was a nurse in a public hospital. She hid five Jews there. She worked as a nurse until the Germans retreated.
After the war, Sendler and her co-workers gathered all children’s records. They gave them to their Żegota colleague Adolf Berman. Berman and his staff at the Central Committee of Polish Jews then worked to locate the children’s families. Tragically almost all the children’s parents had been killed.
In 1965, Sendler was recognized as Righteous among the Nations. A tree was planted in her honor. Public recognition of her wartime work was limited until after communist rule in Poland ended.
Reflecting on her efforts, Irena Sendler once said, “Every child saved with my help is the justification of my existence on this Earth, and not a title to glory.” These words encapsulate her selflessness. They highlight her profound commitment to humanity. As we stand before this plaque, remember Irena Rokicińska’s extraordinary courage. Let her story inspire acts of kindness and compassion in our lives.