News of the Week 9/23/20
September 23, 1999 – 21 years ago today
A clipping was found in Norm Conard’s classroom by some of his students. That News and World Report article from 1994, entitled “Other Schindlers,” featured several rescuers’ stories from the Holocaust. One of the paragraphs stated, “POLAND: IRENA SENDLER, SOCIAL WORKER: She gave nearly 2,500 children new identities, and buried their real names for safekeeping.”
After reading that sentence, the students had a desire to learn more. Irena Sendler and her collaborators risked their lives to do the right thing and make a difference. Her dedication to making the world a better place inspired the students and their teacher.
Twenty-one years later the students’ play, “Life in a Jar” has been performed more than 375 times around the world, the irenasendler.org website has received millions of hits, more than 50 schools around the world have been named after Irena Sendler, thousands of student projects sharing Irena’s story have been completed, and over 3,000 news articles featuring Irena Sendler and the project have been published globally.
Irena Sendler’s story continues to make a difference.
You can learn more about Irena, the students, and their teacher by reading “Life in a Jar: the Irena Sendler Project.”
Tikkun Olam!