Irena’s Vow

I have many heroes from WWII: Anne Frank, Irena Sendler, Stefania Podgorska, Oskar Schindler…just to name a few. Back in my teens or early twenties, I was reading “Sister Freaks,” by Rebecca St. James and stumbled across a woman of faith I never heard of before: Irene Gut Opdyke. I did further research on line and learned there was a book I just had to read! When I read her story, I wanted to cry for all she did and all she had been through, but she kept the faith and persevered.

Irene Gut Opdyke (born Irena Gut, 5 May 1922 – 17 May 2003) was a Polish nurse who gained international recognition for aiding Polish Jews persecuted by Nazi Germany during World War II. She was honored as a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem for risking her life to save twelve Jews.

That’s just a small bit from the Wikipedia article on her. You can find the complete version here. But don’t stop there, read her book: “In My Hands” to read her full story. You can buy it at Amazon.

“No matter how many Holocaust stories one has read, this one is a must, for its impact is so powerful.”–School Library Journal, starred

I did not ask myself, “Should I do this?” but “How will I do this?”

Through this intimate and compelling memoir, we are witness to the growth of a hero. Much like The Diary of Anne Frank, In My Hands has become a profound testament to individual courage.

You must understand that I did not become a resistance fighter, a smuggler of Jews, a defier of the SS and the Nazis, all at once.

When the war began, Irene Gut was just seventeen: a student nurse, a Polish patriot, a good Catholic girl. Forced to work in a German officers’ dining hall, she learns how to fight back.

One’s first steps are always small: I had begun by hiding food under a fence.

Irene eavesdropped on the German’s plans. She smuggled people out of the work camp. And she hid twelve Jews in the basement of a Nazi major’s home. To deliver her friends from evil, this young woman did whatever it took–even the impossible.

Her story was later told on Broadway, in a play called “Irena’s Vow.” Tovah Feldshuh portrayed Irena.

And now Irena’s story is told in a new movie by the same name. She is portrayed by Sophie Nélisse, who played Liesel Meminger in “The Book Thief” years ago. Check out this article about it!

“Irena’s Vow” was recently shown at TIFF – Toronto International Film Festival and you can vote for it here, to be picked up and shown at theaters! Please share this info, Irena’s story should continue to be told.