Irena Sendler was an influential figure in the Jewish community. In 1942 and 1943, she saved the lives of more than two thousand Jewish teenagers. “In Poland, she is affectionately known as the “mother of the children of the holocaust”. She was a Polish, Catholic nurse and social worker. Even though she was not Jewish, she felt obligated to help them escape. She once said, “You see a man drowning, you have to try to save him, even if you don’t know how to swim.” She thought Hilter's actions were inhumane. Irena Sendler was born on February 15, 1910. She was born as Irena Krzyzanowska. His parents were Stanislaw Krzyzanowski and Janina Kryzanowska. She was born in Otwock, a small town about fifteen kilometers from the Warsaw ghetto. His great act of heroism was greatly influenced by his father. He was a Polish socialist. His patients were mostly poor Jews. When the Nazis, ruled by Hitler, built the Warsaw Ghetto, many Poles ignored the fact that senseless massacres were taking place in their community. Some even praised Hitler for it. Even though the actions of the Nazis did not directly affect Irena Sendler and her family, she still defied the Nazis and saved over two thousand Jewish teenagers. She achieved this by smuggling the children out of the ghetto in which they found themselves. Over the course of a year, she found non-Jewish families to adopt the children and safe havens where they could not be found. “At the time, Irena was a senior administrator in the Warsaw Social Welfare Department, which managed canteens in all districts of the city.” The canteens provided clothing, medicine and money to children. For children to stay in the canteen, they had to register under...... middle of paper... Irena Sendler was honored for her courage several years later. She was honored by national Jewish organizations in Jerusalem and even received Poland's highest honor, the Order of the White Eagle in Warsaw. Irena Sendler was an extraordinary woman of immense strength, courage and selflessness. Without it, these 2,500 children would probably have been killed. Irena Sendler died on May 12, 2008 at the age of ninety-eight. She will always be remembered as a hero. Works Cited “Irena Sendler.” Moral Heroes RSS. Np, and Web. December 12, 2013. “Quotes about life in a jar.” » By Jack Mayer. Np, and Web. December 12, 2013. “Irena Sendler.” Home. Np, and Web. December 11. 2013.