Contents
Irena Sendler
Helping rescue Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto during the Holocaust.
Rescue network · Identity records
- Born
- 15 February 1910
- Birthplace
- Warsaw, Poland
- Died
- 12 May 2008
More people
Irena Sendler
Irena Sendler was a Polish social worker who worked within a clandestine network protecting people from Nazi persecution.
Early life
Family influence
Her physician father’s example helped shape her concern for others.
Social work
Studied in Warsaw and entered welfare work before the war.
Career
- 1930s
Welfare work
Worked in Warsaw’s social services.
- 1940s
Underground rescue
Helped arrange escape, documents and hiding places for Jewish children.
- 1943 onward
Żegota
Led its children’s section and continued resistance after surviving arrest.
Rescue & recognition
Rescue network
Worked with families, religious institutions and fellow welfare workers.
Identity records
Preserved information intended to help children reconnect with families.
Righteous Among the Nations
Received recognition from Yad Vashem.
Beyond work
Postwar life
Continued working in welfare and education.
Shared effort
Emphasised the contribution of fellow rescuers rather than treating rescue as one person’s work.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Georgia Commission on the Holocaust: biography ↗Yad Vashem: rescue work ↗Photo: Unknown author Unknown author. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
