What Was Irena Sendler A Rescuer?

The definition of a rescuer is a person who saves someone from a dangerous or difficult situation. Being a rescuer involves being brave and being able to put yourself in danger to save the other person. In 1933-1945 was the time period of the Holocaust. This time results the death of almost 6 million Jews and 5 million non-Jews. During this period many wondered why nobody would try to save them, but that is when one woman came and changed that. Irena Sendler, a health worker, worked in the Warsaw ghetto. Like most worker, she was able to gain access to the inside. She was born in 1910 and when growing up she was greatly influenced by her father. Because of how she was raised, she saved many children from their death. This woman is a rescuer because she saved almost 2,500 children from the ghetto.

In 1939, the Germans started to invade Warsaw and when they did Irena began helping the Jews by offering them shelter and food. Knowing the consequences, "Irena Sendler successfully smuggled almost 2,500 Jewish children to safety and gave them temporary new identities" ("Irena Sendler"). With this quote, Irena had to secretly hide children to be saved. She would take them in groups of as many as 25 at one time. Yes, Irena was a big part of the rescue, but she also had help from associates. They made over 3,000 false documents for the children. This would allow them to be able to escape. Eventually the Nazi found out where they placed her in the notorious Piawiak prison, "There they tortured her trying to get her ... in February 1944" ("Irena Sendler." Biography.com). The children were clearly very important to her. She was sentenced to death after they beat and tortured her with breaking her feet and legs. Being tortured is not easy, but she was driven and did what she had to do to get the children’s lives changed, but there were different routes to her