Irena Sendler: Lest We Forget

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. In 2008, Irena Sendler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize; the same year that Al Gore won. In 2008 Irena died quietly in Poland and, only then, did the world come to know of the full extent of this hero's selfless acts. Many, MANY children from another dark era in the history of evil in our world, owe their lives to the bravery of Irena.

I had planned to republish this in May, but other events precluded that plan. However, because I truly believe ANY day of the year is a great day to remember our often unsung heroes, I am sharing it today. Read on:

From NewsBlaze:

May 13, 2008

The World Loses Another HERO

Irena Sendler dies in Poland, a true hero

If you have never heard of Irena Sendler, you are not alone. Up until I saw that she had died this past few days I, also, had never heard of her. But make no mistake; she IS a hero. She is credited with saving over 2,500 Jewish children from certain death during the dark days of the Nazi regime.

Irena Sendler www.auschwitz.dk

"... Irena Sendler. An unfamiliar name to most people, but this remarkable woman defied the Nazis and saved 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto. As a health worker, she sneaked the children out between 1942 and 1943 to safe hiding places and found non-Jewish families to adopt them....

Irena Sendler, who wore a star armband as a sign of her solidarity to Jews, began smuggling children out in an ambulance. She recruited at least one person from each of the ten centers of the Social Welfare Department. With their help, she issued hundreds of false documents with forged signatures...

"`Can you guarantee they will live?'" Irena later recalled the distraught parents asking. But she could only guarantee they would die if they stayed. "In my dreams," she said, "I still hear the cries when they left their parents."...

Go to NewsBlaze here and spend some time getting to know Irena.

May we NEVER forget.