I got this in my email this morning. It’s a true story. And I cannot BELIEVE this woman lost the Nobel Peace Prize to stupid Al Gore and his loony movie!!!!
May 12, 2008, marked the death of a 98-year-old lady named Irena Sendlerowa. She was born in Germany Poland in 1910. During WWII, Irena, a German Polish woman, received permission from the Nazis to work in the Warsaw ghetto as a plumbing/sewer specialist.
She had an ulterior motive…
Irena knew the Nazis’ plans for the Jews and smuggled infants out in the bottom of the large tool box she carried. Larger children were placed in a burlap sack in the back of her truck. Also in the back was a dog that she had trained to bark each time the Nazi guards allowed her out of the ghetto and back in.
The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog, and its barking covered any noise made by the infants and small children. Irena managed to smuggle out approximately 2,500 children before she was finally caught.
When she was captured, the Nazis beat her severely, breaking both her arms and her legs.
Irena kept a record of the names of all the children she smuggled out of that Warsaw ghetto and kept them in a glass jar buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents who may have survived so she might reunite the child with its family. Most, of course, did not survive the Holocaust, and the vast majority of the surviving children were placed in foster homes or adopted.
Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but she lost to Al Gore, who won the award for presenting a slide show on the philosophy behind global warming.
Read more at a website dedicated to Irena.
1. August 2008 at 9:01 pm
I have seen this as well, and yes, there is tremendous outrage, but she has gathered many precious stones in her crown that will be honored for all eternity in heaven!!!
all the best…great post, important post!!!
Amy
1. August 2008 at 9:03 pm
What an inspiring story. There are so few of them. May she rest in peace.
1. August 2008 at 9:56 pm
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story. A true heroine…
1. August 2008 at 10:02 pm
http://www.irenasendler.org/thestory.asp
I had to learn more. Read this website. Let me know what you think. How could I have not known about this heroic woman.
julia
http://www.backcounterbuffet.blogspot.com
I am going to post this on my blog as well.
1. August 2008 at 10:09 pm
Amy– you hot the nail right on the head! That is true.
Yes, it is a very inspiring story. Thanks for the link, Julia!
1. August 2008 at 10:47 pm
What a beautiful story about a wonderful and brave woman. Al Gore should be ashamed.
1. August 2008 at 11:14 pm
What an inspiring woman. Very few things bring tears to my eyes, but this did.
2. August 2008 at 1:52 am
Wow..just wow. To think that this woman put her life on the line for so long to help so many lost out to Al Gore just goes to show you how screwed up the world really is.
One thing is for sure though…her memory will be passed on to every generation of those she saved for a long time after Al Gore is completely forgotten by history.
2. August 2008 at 6:46 am
What an amazing, inspiring story. I never heard of her before. Thanks for shining light on her. (And she looks just like my Grammy on my father’s side!)
2. August 2008 at 11:56 am
Thank you for this!! I’m bookmarking for future study.
As for the loss to Mr. Gore … I’m thankful I believe in a higher power that has a much better viewpoint and will never forget the work she did for the human family.
~Hilary (who still hasn’t sat through the entire so-called documentary because she couldn’t understand why he had to speak about hanging chads … what do hanging chads have to do with global warming? )
2. August 2008 at 10:03 pm
Such a shame such a wonderfully noble saint did not get the recognition she deserved here on earth. But her blessing are many in her passing.
Thanks for such a wonderful story.
3. August 2008 at 10:21 am
Unfortunately, doing the right thing often goes unrewarded, but then again… if you “do the right thing” in anticipation of reward, then you will be judged by your motives, will receive your just reward, and will watch it burn with the rest of the hay and stubble. Congrats Al Gore, I hope you enjoy it while it lasts.
3. August 2008 at 12:01 pm
Yes, this is a true story; even Snopes.com recognizes it. What a terrible shame, first of all, that it even took 60+ years for the world to recognize her incredible act, and then to be snubbed by voters in favor of the likes of AL Gore. What is happening to the people in this world?
Thank you for bringing this story back to light!! It made my day! Matt
4. August 2008 at 9:17 am
I cannot believe that she lost! This lady is a true hero.
7. August 2008 at 10:16 pm
Excellent, excellent post! Thank you for posting this wonderful story. And you are right, if there was any real justice in this world, Al Gore would have never won the Nobel. I’m stumbling this post too.
9. August 2008 at 11:48 am
wow,
Truly inspiring.
That’s a great story to share with us.
9. August 2008 at 12:13 pm
What a wonderful woman! Stories like this restore one’s faith in humanity. However, your insistence on comparing one person’s contribution with another’s and finding fault over who won an award for their efforts does not add anything to your tribute, it only makes you look small. I’m sure this wonderful woman did all she did with no desire for awards, nor with the desire that her acts be used to belittle the efforts of another.
9. August 2008 at 12:39 pm
Thanks for the links and comments! It is an inspiring story. It’s not Al Gore’s fault that he won the award– it is the prize givers. But it shows how biased and political the Nobel Peace Prize really is. And they can be as biased as they want to be– whatever. But they can’t pretend that they are unbiased and it is obvious that they don’t give the prize based on merit…
Hi Sillypants. Actually, I didn’t write this piece– it was emailed to me and I just posted it here. But even so, I don’t think the reference to Al Gore winning the prize makes anything look small. It shows how unjust things are, and how political things are. Hopefully, it’s a lesson to be learned.
9. August 2008 at 8:05 pm
In 1965, Sendler was recognized by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations, which was confirmed in 1983 by the Israeli Supreme Court. She also was awarded the Commanders Cross by the Israeli Institute.
In 2003, Pope John Paul II sent a personal letter to Sendler, praising her wartime efforts.
On 10 October 2003, Irena Sendler received the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest civilian decoration. She was also awarded the Jan Karski Award “For Courage and Heart,” given by the American Center of Polish Culture in Washington, D.C..
On 14 March 2007 Sendler was honored by Poland’s Senate. Polish President Lech Kaczy?ski stated that she “can justly be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize” (though nominations are supposed to be kept secret). At age 97, she was unable to leave her nursing home to receive the honor, but she sent a statement through El?bieta Ficowska, whom Sendler had saved as an infant.
Irena Sendler’s funeral, Warsaw, Poland, May 15, 2008
Irena Sendler’s funeral, Warsaw, Poland, May 15, 2008
Sendler was the last survivor of the Children’s Section of the ?egota Council for Assistance to the Jews, which she had headed from January 1943 until the end of World War II.
9. August 2008 at 10:37 pm
This woman did a great and unselfish thing, however, what is with all of the Al Gore bashing? It is voted on by an enormous group of people. Maybe they feel that saving our planet is of some importance too. Ignorance comes in all forms I suppose.
10. August 2008 at 1:19 am
This merely adds to the general consensus of Al Gore being a “dick”. He no less than stole this award with his pseudoscience from someone actually deserving of it.
10. August 2008 at 2:07 am
Its really sad to see someone grandstanding on this womans grave to mock Al Gore. I am sure many many very admirable and worthy people are nominated for a nobel prize, but in the end ‘loose’ to someone else. Your views may see this as a loss, but perhaps the awareness his award brings to the environment will save many many more lives. I’m sure Irena and her obviously selfless nature would much prefer that the potentially countless lives that could be saved by action being taken now with global warming is much greater than another public recognition of her great actions of the past.
10. August 2008 at 3:53 am
What’s with the badmouthing of Al Gore? It’s not like he became an environmental activist to deprive this lady of the Nobel prize. They both did great things, he just happened to get picked. Also, isn’t it a bit contradictory to claim that a view most of the world’s scientists agree with is “pseudoscience”? I mean, what’s your definition of pseudoscience??
10. August 2008 at 11:41 am
What an amazing woman. She stood up to horrible circumstances and saved lives; her life is an inspiration. Too bad people here are using her death as a pin in their rants about Al Gore. Regarding that:
Ashamed of himself? *He* didn’t dictate who won. It’s kind of out of his hands.
Pseudoscience? “loony movie!!!”? Nope. Majority of scientists believe global warming is hard fact. The vocal ones against it are, surprise surprise, most often backed by corporate interests. Do some research instead of relying on pundits on television.
They both deserve the award.
10. August 2008 at 1:54 pm
I certainly appreciate all the comments. The jab at Al Gore and the Prize was a minor note in an otherwise glorious symphony.
The crux of the issue is that the Nobel Prize has become political, and winners win if they line up with the political ideology. Al Gore has done nothing to further “peace,” but he’s surely done a lot to further his career.
There is NO conclusive evidence for global warming. It is a THEORY. Just 30 years ago, “scientists” were bemoaning “global cooling.” And a lot of Gore’s slide shows and information is misleading to say the least.
Gore aside, Irena Sendlerowa was a wonderful, amazing woman. You’d think that a lady who sacrificed her own life to save children would receive global acclaim and high honor. Her nomination certainly fit that, but it is a shame that she lost to something akin to political jabberwocky.
10. August 2008 at 6:10 pm
Al Gore has done nothing to further “peace,”-Rebecca.
Climate change will elad to all sorts of calamity. People will kill for water and food produce as those necessities become scarce due to pollution and the land produces less food.
I live in northern Ontario Canada in the boreal region. You cannot deny what we see disappearing or being altered due to man’s irresponsibility. Trees are dying, water is acidic or have algea growing, in our supposedly pritine north. We have had regular air quality warnings and we do not have industrialization in our area. All sorts of animal life is disapaering. This is about life and death. Those in the city do not seem to be aware of the damage we are doing to ourselves and it is horrifying.
10. August 2008 at 8:51 pm
See… when i read the title i saw “German Heroin” and got all excited. But i guess this is ok too
10. August 2008 at 9:43 pm
While it’s fabulous what this woman did, Jeffery is right. You people need to take a science class or two.
10. August 2008 at 10:57 pm
Irena is definitely a credit to the human race for her amazing accomplishments and determination in a world gone mad. Why is it an issue that Al Gore et. al. won the Prize in 2007? Irena was recognized for her deeds as early as 1965: should we denigrate every other Nobel Prize winner since then as having “beaten her out”? Sure the International Federation of Social Workers was “deeply saddened” by the ‘loss to Al Gore’, but…where were all these outraged people while the woman was ALIVE to congratulate? How many of you people had even HEARD of the woman before she died, anyway? Act sooner next time – dead people don’t care about awards, do they? Recognize amazing accomplishments before the funeral. Al Gore isn’t responsible about this, anyway.
10. August 2008 at 11:03 pm
If Al Gore is right, he could be credited with saving – literally – BILLIONS of people. If Al Gore is wrong, he can be credited with not crying wolf, but honestly signaling an alarm to grave danger – and putting his personal finance, his political clout and his sacred honor on the chopping block to do it.
If Al Gore is wrong, then pseudoscience was right for a change – that has happened occasionally, in the past – comets & meteors, for instance, actually come from Outer Space! That was thought pseudoscience, once. Here, there’s an awful lot of smoke for there to be no fire! World scientists have locked arms in a phalanx supporting this, with Gore merely at the front-line. Anyone who dismisses this without apolitical investigation is living in the sweet cloud-kookooland bliss of denial.
Ask this instead: WHY WASN’T THIS WOMAN VETTED 60 YEARS AGO? Why
Mikhail Gorbachev, and not her? Why Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres or Yitzhak Rabin – weren’t they all young enough to be smuggled out by HER in her day? Why Mother Teresa – did she actually SAVE any lives, or merely pray over death caused by poverty? Why Henry Kissenger – isn’t that a bit of a political point-of-view? Why Martin Luther King – did he ever smuggle a child to safety? How about the Dali Lama – wasn’t he a child who got smuggled to safety by someone like her?
The badmouthing of Al Gore this year, 60 years to late and a tear too short has crystal clear meaning. It is what Irena herself would have called schadenfreude.
10. August 2008 at 11:45 pm
Rebecca – There are plenty of people all deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize who were nominated many years and didn’t win. If Irena were alive today I’m sure she would not have cared if she won or not. She obviously had reasons for what she did.
You seem to be saying that your jab at Gore was an aside – but your willingness to defend it and attack his so-called “pseudoscience”(I’d like to hear why his figures and facts are pseudoscience, not just blanket dismissals) and “Theory”(Technically, The Theory of Gravity is only a THEORY) seems to show that it was the point. As Dr. Evil and R. Llennef have pointed out, this woman should have been nominated much sooner, and there are plenty of other politically motivated NPP winners. Why not make a monument to all the earlier losses too?
It appears to me nothing more than a thinly veiled attack on Al Gore and concerns about global warming.
11. August 2008 at 12:21 am
“People will kill for water and food produce as those necessities become scarce due to pollution and the land produces less food.”
you know global warming is supposedly caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and that’s, um, what plants respirate with… they turn it into oxygen, actually.
carbon dioxide is measured in parts per MILLIONTH. try looking at 385 parts per millionth on a pie chart and tell me with a straight face that it’s serious.
earth goes into a little ice age roughly every 20,000 years. the last time that happened was about 20,000 years ago.
it happened around 10,000 bc and helped kill off the mammoth, and sabre-tooth tiger.
global warming is a bunch of hype designed to get you to buy a whole bunch of new shit and stay scared.
11. August 2008 at 1:16 am
Quick redress of some factual errors in the treatment of Ms. Sendler’s life. She was Polish (not German), having been born in Warsaw (which in 1910 was occupied by Russia.) She was a Catholic social worker and worked diligently during the German occupation of Poland to save Jewish kids. Not sure where the plumbing comes from, though I can’t imagine the Nazis cared to much about infrastructure in the Warsaw ghetto.
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irena_Sendler
As to the comments on global warming, whether it’s caused by people or part of a natural cycle, the potential casualties are in the hundreds of millions of lives lost. If Myanmar and Bangladesh are too distant for the imagination, then think of New Orleans.
11. August 2008 at 2:56 am
Al Gore didn’t steal the award, so give it a rest!
Maybe those who voted thought they might do some good for the future…as wonderful as it might have been to honor the past, they can only pick one.
And I am sure this courageous and beautiful soul Irena didn’t need a Nobel Prize to let her know she had done something incredible with her life.
11. August 2008 at 3:36 am
People are bad mouthing Al Gore because global warming is a bunch of bullshit used to make money and gain more power.
Global warming might be real, but there’s no decent evidence to suggest that it’s man made. Some “top scientists” will say that we’re in a cooling off period, an ice-age if you will. Some would say that the man-made carbon emissions are as low as 3%.
This woman was a real heroine, or hero as I call people of both sexes– Al Gore is a hypocritical fraud. It’s too bad he’s building a damned religion around himself and his bullshit cause. Some even consider him a damn prophet.
Bah, people…
11. August 2008 at 5:42 am
Global warming is just a theory… That is right, and so is evolution. Just because it is theory doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Regarding whether this woman should have won. Yes, probably so, but she certainly never sought that kind of fame and these things will hopefully belong and remain in the past where global warming, may it be a scam or not, is something we have to deal with NOW.
11. August 2008 at 6:11 am
Irena was born in Poland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irena_Sendler
11. August 2008 at 9:07 am
to be fair, everyone, Al Gore wasn’t the only one to win the prize. He shared the honor with many environmental scientists. His willingness to put his political career on a limb for a strangely unpopular belief is part of the honor. Everyone seems to hate Al Gore, why? Do you think he said he invented the internet? he didn’t say that. It was just smear during the 2000 elections. He’s pretty decent. That said, this is a wonderful story, and she should have one the prize 50 years ago.
11. August 2008 at 11:32 am
Hey Matt, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpxtKcLSFWw Even if you ignore the parody the words and the voice are his. His said “I took the initiative in creating the internet”. Only later when he was questioned about it did he revise his statement to say he paved the way for the internet. Maybe it was just a gaff on his part, maybe not, but we all know WHY he said it….he is a politician in every sense of the word and he was trying to draw attention to himself and his cause (trying to get electeed).
As for Global Warming, whether or not is is a real epedemic, it is still a good idea for us to do more (much more) to save our environment. My problem with Al Gore is the way he completely overstates and exagerates his claims to fit his agenda. Man may very well be contributing to global warming in some fashion, but Gore tries to scare everyone into thinking the Earth is going to die in a few years. I think he would get a lot more support if he didn’t purposely mislead everyone into this way of thinking in order to make himself seem like some kind of saviour (my opinion). He needs to follow his own advice and signifigantly lower his own carbon footprint before he preaches to the rest of us. He seems to be one of the worst abusers.
11. August 2008 at 1:19 pm
Don’t beat up on Al Gore. He has done a great service with his work on global warming and that doesn’t make this lady’s incredible kindness any less important or worthy.
11. August 2008 at 1:59 pm
She is a legend. This is a wonderful story.
11. August 2008 at 5:56 pm
Great story, but no need to crap on Gore. This happened 70 years ago. What of all those other prize winners? Should they be ashamed, too?
11. August 2008 at 7:00 pm
Hey, Vic. Of course the other prize nominees should not be ashamed! But the prize GIVERS should. They should have given Irena this award years ago, and they even denied it to her now.
Gore is not being crapped on because of the Nobel prize. He’s being crapped on because he is full of it. Crap.
Thanks for your comments! :D
12. August 2008 at 1:05 am
The peace prize is a sham anyway. Its better she’s not associated with it. She deserves recognition though
I’m sure God will reward her.
12. August 2008 at 3:08 am
I really don’t think it’s fair to diminish what gore has done. He deserved the prize seeing how he single handedly brought global warming and environmental issues to the forefront of political debate and widespread global and societal concern. She should have won previously though. I’m just saying it’s not fair to put them in competition. Everyone should win!
12. August 2008 at 10:57 am
Just goes to show what a douche Al Gore really is. Elitist prick.
12. August 2008 at 12:10 pm
Nobody’s Nucka: your math is off by 8,000 years.
Not that I’m saying you’re wrong about another ice age, but 10,000 BC plus 20,000 years doesn’t equal 2008 AD.
12. August 2008 at 12:14 pm
She is a wonderful soul. Nevertheless, Al Gore’s endless work re climate change will ultimately save more lives.
12. August 2008 at 4:51 pm
I look at the global warming bashers and I feel such fear for humanity. “It’s just a theory”? You do know that real scientists use the word ‘theory’ very, *very* sparingly, right? Of course not, or you wouldn’t have said “It’s just a theory.” As another poster pointed out, this is best illustrated by things like Theory of Gravity. To expound, there are little things you *might* be aware of called Theory of Plate Tectonics (those pesky fear mongers and their staged earth quakes), Color Theory, etc. Maybe you should wiki the word ‘theory’ for a better understanding.
Re: Global warming trying to get you to buy stuff? Are you *serious*? It’s more profitable to convince people to keep consuming at old rates, using non-energy sufficient goods and services. If enough people don’t think it’s a concern, they don’t have to alter production habits and they make more money.
If I come off as hostile it’s because I’m tired of those ignorant of how science works proclaiming the supposed ignorance of those who actually have a grasp on it.
Also, re: the inventing the Internet: Are we *still* on this? Seriously? Let’s settle this by the words of the Father of the Internet, Vint Serf, shall we? http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/200009/msg00052.html “But as the two people who designed the basic architecture and the core protocols that make the Internet work, we would like to acknowledge VP Gore’s contributions as a Congressman, Senator and as Vice President. No other elected official, to our knowledge, has made a greater contribution over a longer period of time.”
In short, quit using this noble woman’s grave as the base of your rickety soapbox to grind your beef with a man who has done more for the planet than most.
12. August 2008 at 11:12 pm
If you looked into it at all, you’d find that the scientists that are pro-global warming tend to be the ones with the massive grants and corporate funding. Look at the oil company backers, for example, and you’ll find that most of them are “environmentalists”, most famous example being Rothschild. Everything is always vastly more complicated than one might originally anticipate, particularly when money and power are involved.
Besides, what the hell does a scientific opinion (and obviously, it’s completely fair to believe whatever you want to believe) have to do with world peace, and why should he have won the world’s most prestigious prize for World Peace for an environmental “contribution”? That’s bass-ackwards logic if I’ve ever seen any.
Al Gore was a pretty terrible vice-president, too, with such bold political moves as denying condom shipments to Africa, taking credit for the internet, and further censoring the media (PMRC, among other things).
But enough of Al Gore, I have defended myself sufficiently, and I’m quite sorry to have brought it up, it was stupid of me, and is disrespectful to Irena Sendlerowa herself. And this topic is to honour her death, and not to politic. Once again, my apologies for bringing it up, and may Irena Sendlerowa rest in the peace deserving of how she lived her life.