Took a backseat to Al's new religion"She cooperated with the Children's Section of the Municipal Administration, linked with the RGO (Central Welfare Council), a Polish Relief Organization tolerated under German supervision. She organized the smuggling of Jewish children from the Ghetto, carrying them out, and placing them with either Polish families, the Warsaw orphanage of the Sisters of the Family of Mary, or Catholic convents such as the Sisters Little Servants of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mary (L.S.I.C.) at Turkowice [2] and Chotomow [3]. She kept lists of the names, hidden in jars, in order to keep track of original and new identities.
Arrested in 1943 by the Gestapo, she was severely tortured and sentenced to death. Zegota saved her by bribing the German guards on the way to her execution. Officially, she was listed on public bulletin boards as among those executed. Even in hiding, she continued her work for the Jewish children."
"Sendler was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, but lost out to Al Gore, the former Vice-President of the United States."
Right, but did she win an Oscar? Yeah, I didn't think so...
9 comments:
Bitter?
A bit.
Really though, Adrian, that someone who was tortured and nearly executed by the Gestapo for saving thousands of Jewish children didn't get the Nobel nod is ridiculous.
Would anybody care about Irena Sendler if Gore hadn't gotten the Nobel? I doubt it. There was no great outcry that Sendler should have won it instead after Mohamed Yunus won, or the IAEA. Most of Sendler's newfound champions don't give a hoot about her, they just wish someone other than Gore had won.
Besides, someone who got tortured and almost killed by the Nazis has already won the Nobel, Elie Wiesel.
Points well taken Adrian. However, to my knowledge this is her first (and given her age, perhaps last) nomination for the Peace Prize.
"Besides, someone who got tortured and almost killed by the Nazis has already won the Nobel, Elie Wiesel."
Lol! Nobel quota's abound, eh?
Well if you argue that Sendler should get a Nobel, how about the Albanian partisans who sheltered Jews during Italian and German occupation (Albania ended the war with more Jews than it started with)? Or the Bulgarian clergy that successfully protected the 50,000 Bulgarian Jews? Or the Danes that smuggled out Jews to Sweden? etc....
I'd argue that Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize symbolically recognized the contributions of all those who fought against the Holocaust and have worked to prevent future genocides. Another reason why this Sendler controversy seems so contrived.
I think the difference is (within the context of your comment) Wiesel was a child during the Holocaust and his works since then (quite well since then) defined his being awarded the Prize.
Contrarily, Sendler's completely selfless acts occurred at the height of the Holocaust define her nomination.
Perhaps you could take a gander at justifying Al Gore's award?
Sure - I'll write a post on it tonight.
Here's my post.
Just a note that I commented too.
As I mentioned to Adrian over at my blog, I'm not sure how Gore can get credit for the good work that his actions may cause (delaying climate change a few months or a few years), but not the additional water shortages, sea level losses, etc, that would follow if his Kyoto accord is enacted.
Post a Comment