Irena Sandler
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Hallmark Hall of Fame: 236th Presentation
THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER is amazing.
Sometimes we look for honorable examples of heroes for our girls - we need look no further than this woman who at under 5 foot tall saved conservatively between 1500 and 2500 children during world war 2. The seconary heroes are the children who for a highschool project "discovered" her story and have created a second legacy while trying to live out their classes motto: “He who changes one person, changes the entire world”.
This was broadcast tonight on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. It is an amazing true story that keeps on giving.
http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/article%7C10001%7C10051%7C/HallmarkSite/HallmarkHallOfFame/HHOF_TOP
There is info on the Kansas highschool students who rescued her story at their foundation site and tons of other heart warming info and stories:
http://www.irenasendler.org/
Taped this one also. I'm going to try to watch it soon. Maybe next weekend, as this weekend we are celebrating birthday parties.
Look forward to hearing your response. Bring kleenex.
So how did she save them?
Hi Feonad,
One child at a time -she used families willing to adopt into their homes another child all over Europe - mostly in Poland, the very country she was in. With the help of other resistance workers, she would have the children smuggled out of the Ghetto in suitcases, shipping boxes, wheelbarrows - anything that could hold a child. It was very dangerous for everyone involved including the families willing to take the children.
Check out Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project: http://www.irenasendler.org/
They will send you a free CD for any donation that includes her story, interviews with her, some of the children she helped save and the families that helped. It also has a show you can play to a school or other group of people to share her story so others can be inspired to help in other dire circumstances. They have a traveling theater troupe that will visit your school or school district and perform her story live.
Enchens,
Did you ever watch your tape? I was thinking about you and the Life in a Jar presentation. Irene was a Catholic and did what she did out of her faith. Might be interesting for your child's school. Very inspiring for kids.
Linda
No, haven't watched it yet. It's the NBA playoffs right now so tv time is limited. (Read dh is hogging the tv! lol)
We actually have the TV thing going on in our house also and it caught me by surprise. My husband is not a big basketball fan but I guess when its the only game in town..... men and those ball games.
I understand that my dh is a huge sports fan. I mean huge. And I knew all this before we married. But he tricked me! He failed to tell me that the sports seasons all kinda run into each other. I thought that once one sport was over, there would be a break. Nope. Guess I should not have assumed.
What I know find hilarious is that dh will watch the game, rewind it when he needs to review a play, then watch the press conference after the game, then watch the highlights and the sportscasters opinions right after the game, and finally watch the reviews the day after. Good grief! lol
World calamaties come and go but the only aspect of the news in which we must observe absolute silence is the sports........
Ok, I finally have a moment and I'm going to sneak in the movie. In reality, I think that I will only be able to watch half of it.
I just wish I had known that Goran Visnjic was in it. I would have changed the channel. The heck with the playoffs! LOL
I watched it all. You were right, I needed kleenex.
There were two lines that were very powerful to me. One was when Irena was explaining to her mother her need to help, her need to do more. Irena said her father always told her "You see a man drowning, you must try to save him even though you cannot swim." She followed that to a T. She knew she had to help even though she didn't know how she was going to achieve this.
The second one was when the Jewish family was trying to determine what to do, especially with Carolina. This was when they learn of a camp without barracks. The Rabbi was against sending the young girl away, afraid of having her converted, etc. The parents of the young girl, of course, were torn, but knew they had to, and then the Rabbi's wife speaks up. She said she had been quiet for many months and now she would give her opinion. She basically said they needed to send the young girl away so she would be safe. She then said, to the Rabbi, "You have loved me since I was a little girl in pigtails. And after this many years you know that an opinion from me is not a suggestion!" When she said that, it wasn't to put her husband down or show him who was boss. She was speaking from her heart, the heart of a mother.
I'm glad I did not see this sooner. I don't think I could have handled it. I guess there are three parts that were powerful to me. The most powerful was when Irena gave a comment in the end. She asked we "celebrate [Mother's Day] in the name of some of the most anguished mothers in the world, the Jewish mothers, who had to part with their children during those terrible times. And let us reflect on those Polish women, who took those children in and brought them up as their own, risking their lives every day, and every hour in the process. They loved those children so much that when the war ended, they could hardly bear to part with them. So let us give thought to those mothers."
What powerful words, what powerful actions.
Enchens,
I'm so glad you had a chance to experience this amazing story. Thanks for highlighting so many special moments. Her father's words still echo in my heart for my children. I forgot to mention the need for kleenex. Sorry been out of touch, didn't see your post - this has been quite the month - not much time for entertainment.
Check out the Irena Sandler kids website - their story is almost as moving as hers. http://www.irenasendler.org/
You can send for a free video to use in your school, church, community organiztion and the project will even come and perform or help you do your own kids production.
Linda
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