Irena Sendler: A Little Known Holocaust Hero

When Irene Safran was only twenty-one years old, her carefree life ended in the face of the Holocaust. Born to two Jewish parents as one of ten children-- four girls and six boys in all-- in Munkachevo, Czechoslovakia around the year 1923, her world changed in early April 1944 when she and her family were transferred to a Jewish ghetto. For the next year, Irene's life was a series of deaths, losses, and humiliations no human should ever have to suffer, culminating, years later, with a triumphant ending. Her story is proof that the human spirit can triumph over all manner of adversity and evil.

Overall, the Holocaust was an awful moment in the world’s history, a Jewish survivor even said that occasionally during this time, “There were days when...” the survivor “...envied a dog” (Galler). But there isn’t just bad that produced from this event, there is importance we can learn from from this tragic event. It taught the world a lesson on how one man with lots of hate and power can affect

One of the most memorable events about World War II was the holocaust. Most people remember the many lives that were lost in this massive genocide. Although many lives were lost a few were able to survive and share their experiences in those harsh times. Many non Jewish people helped in anyway possible such as Stefania Podgorska. During the holocaust Podgorska kept resistance by hiding and providing for Jews in the most necessary times.

Throughout history, civilizations have been riddled with strife and glory. During this Era, we use history as a way of learning from our past and teaching the next generation how they can overcome the wicked world of adversities. From previous experience, families have shared stories to new generations about what they have encountered in the Holocaust. There is no greater battle than the strife and struggle of the people that experience the great turmoil of the Holocaust. Using his speech, “The Perils of Indifference,” Elie Wiesel congratulated those who stood up for victims of the Holocaust and how the next generation needs to denounce any form of indifference.

The Holocaust is widely known as one of the most horrendous and disturbing events in history that the world has seen; over six million lives were lost, in fact the total number of deceased during the Holocaust has never been determined. The footage of concentration camps and gas chambers left the world in utter shock, but photos and retellings of the events cannot compare to being a victim of the Holocaust and living through the horror that the rest of the world regarded in the safety of their homes. Elie Wiesel recognized the indifference that the

During World War II and the Holocaust, morality collapsed. It was no longer easy to differentiate between what was good and what was evil. With a world filled with starvation, dehumanization, and dictatorship, Jewish children had a rough life. They were not free to run away and play; instead they were either in hiding or a camp. The three sources that will be analyzed in this essay demonstrate how the Jews and Gentiles risked their lives to help save innocent Jewish children.

“Irena Sendler was a Polish woman who, along with her underground network, rescued 2,500 Jewish children in Poland during World War II.” The Life In a Jar: Irena Sendler Project portrays that she made such a difference in so

The Holocaust, a tragic event in history, years after years the future generations study about this genocide of people, yet we, the future generation are only taught about the people who were killed and save. But what about the people who did the saving, who did the right thing and risked their lives to save countless others? Without these courageous resistance efforts many more lives could have been lost.

Six million Jews were persecuted during the Holocaust. Those still alive, were reduced to bones and forgotten identities. At that time, many people had difficulties comprehending the atrocities the Nazis committed. For example, in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Elie Wiesel quotes, “This is the 20th century, not the Middle Ages. Who would allow such crimes to be committed?”

Wiesel once said, “…I swore never to be silent whenever wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim” (Wiesel par. 9). The inspiring man known as Elie Wiesel was born on September 30, 1928 in Sighet, Romania. He was declared chairman of “The President’s Commission on the Holocaust”. Wiesel earned the reputation of “world’s leading spokesman on the Holocaust” because of his extensive discussions about the Holocaust and the impact it had on Jews (“Elie Wiesel-Facts” par. 1). Wiesel’s early life was unfortunate; his parents and his sister died in the concentration camps that were held by the Germans. Fortunately, Wiesel survived the harsh conditions of the camps. He believed he survived because it was “nothing more than chance” instead of it being a miracle; regardless, he lived to tell his story about the Holocaust (Wiesel 7). Elie Wiesel’s efforts on portraying how bad the Holocaust was allowed him to change people’s perception by fighting against indifference and by showing the severity of his experiences.

As a Jewish person, who has been largely exposed to Holocaust material, it is hard simply to focus upon one piece to write about. I attended Hebrew school from the time I entered pre-school, until the day of my bat mitzvah. The middle and high schools that I attended devoted much of their curriculums to teachings about the Holocaust. My family also felt it very valuable for me to know and understand. Thus, I have read Night and attended a speech given by Elie Wiesel. I have read the Diary of Anne Frank, other memoirs and accounts, as well as fictional and rigid non-fictional books. I have watched Schindler’s List, Sophie’s Choice, Life is Beautiful, and a host of

The Holocaust is arguably the most terrifying demonstration of the extent of what human beings can do to each other. The tragedy and pain the Jewish faced in those solemn years would take more than a mere paragraph or two to describe. However, even in the darkest times, there are those that continue to defy; from small, secretive acts of kindness, to the largest sacrifice of laying down their lives. While Nicholas Winton did not die for his causes, his actions have memorialize him as the man who saved 669 Czechoslovakian children, most whom were Jewish, to the shores of Great Britain, before the brink of World War II.

The memoirs and stories that we have read and discussed in class have described The Holocaust as a life changing event that made both the conquered and conquerors question if there was any faith left in humanity and what were their true motives. Arguably the most horrific event of the twentieth century and even in Earth’s history, The Holocaust devastated most of Central and Eastern Europe. It separated loved ones, most of the time forever. These stories display the courage and hope of ordinary people who just wanted to make it to the next day, by any means necessary.

It is well known that six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, and the images of Jews being rounded up by the hundreds to be taken to concentration camps pervade what we know about the Holocaust. One might assume then that there were few acts of resistance to this inevitable fate. However, resistance took place within the ghettos throughout Europe as well as within the concentration camps. In Poland, where anti-Semitism was rampant, there were organized movements of resistance which took place in the ghettos and in the forests outside of the cities. Thousands of Jews came together in what were known as partisan groups to sabotage German military operations and help other Jews to escape from the ghettos. Harold Werner was a member of one of these partisan groups who wrote a memoir entitled Fighting Back: a Memoir of Jewish Resistance in WWII. He decided to write this memoir in part as a response to his children’s questions about why the Jews went “like sheep to the slaughter.” It was important to Werner not just to answer his children’s questioning but to highlight for the world, both Jews and non-Jews, the bravery displayed by the thousands of Jews who fought for their own lives and for the lives of other Jews. Werner’s memoir is important for this generation and those that follow to help us understand that there were thousands of Jewish citizens who fought against the cruelty of the Nazis. I had read books about the Holocaust such as Night

The authors imply the truth about the Holocaust through textual evidence influencing enlightenment. This story is intended for the general public since the authors goals was to expose the unfiltered truth of Nazi Germany and World War II. Throughout the book the authors reflected sources from experiences they had to