In this episode, guys, Delia brings you the story of Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker whose heroism is the stuff of legend.  At 4' 11", Irena wasn't an imposing figure.  However, from a young age, she was taught to see the good in everyone and to always give help to those in need.  Her pursuit of a degree in social work would lead to her meeting and falling in love with a man named Adam Celnekier - a Jew - and a lifelong connection to the Jewish community who looked around nervously at the rising presence of antisemitism leading up to World War II.  When Irena witnessed the passage of laws that rendered the Jews "Untermenschen" or "subhuman," and the forced relocation of Jews to the Warsaw Ghetto, she sprang into action as a leading member of the resistance and vowed to save as many Jews, and their children, as she could.  With the help of friends, Irena would smuggle and relocate over 2,500 children, but when the Gestapo caught wind of her activities, Irena would prove that bravery can exist in the smallest of people and in the long shadow of evil, goodness can shine through.


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Source:

Mazzeo, Tilar J.  Irena's Children: A True Story of Courage.  Gallery Books, 2017.