Irena Sendler was born in 1910 in Otwock, Poland.Raised in a family with a strong commitment to social justice and helping others
In 1939, World War II erupted, and Germany invaded Poland.Sendler witnessed the brutal occupation and persecution of Jews by the Nazis.
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In 1940, the Nazis established the Warsaw Ghetto, confining hundreds of thousands of Jews in a small area.Conditions in the ghetto were deplorable, with starvation, disease, and death rampant.
Even before the war, Irena worked as a social worker.During the occupation, her position granted her access to the Ghetto where she saw Jewish suffering firsthand.
Sendler joined the Polish underground resistance organization Żegota. She used her position to smuggle food, medicine, and aid into the ghetto.
Sendler and her network devised daring plans to smuggle Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto.
She provided them with false identities and forged documents to keep them safe.
Once out of the Ghetto, children were placed in safe houses, convents, orphanages, and with Polish families willing to risk their lives.
In 1943, Irena was captured by the Gestapo. Despite torture, Irena refused to reveal any information.
Through a stroke of luck and the efforts of the underground, Irena managed to escape.
Despite the trauma, Irena went into hiding and continued her work under a new identity.
With the end of World War II in 1945, Sendler was liberated from Nazi occupation.
Her heroic actions saved the lives of approximately 2,500 Jewish children.
Sendler's legacy as the "Angel of Warsaw" endures as a symbol of courage.
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