Most chose to look the other way. Irene didn’t. Why?

Most chose to look the other way. Irene didn’t. Why?

Irene Gut Opdyke grew up in a Polish Catholic household. Her family was not particularly religious—they didn’t attend church every Sunday. But Irene’s mother raised her children to care for others. 

“In my family, there was no difference between religion or race,” remembered Irene. “My mother taught us to have an open heart, open ears, and open hands to help people that need help.”

That's exactly what Irene did. While working for a major in the German army, Irene assisted Jewish people in the nearby ghetto however she could. When she told them that the ghetto was about to be destroyed, they begged her to help them.

“But what could I do?” Irene remembered thinking. “I did not have a home. I did not have family.” She also knew that the punishment for assisting Jews in German-occupied Poland was death. “But I could not let them die,” she said. 

Taking an incredible risk, Irene hid 12 Jewish people in the basement of the major’s home. All 12 survived the war. 

“We have to help each other,” Irene later reflected. “There is [not] any other way.” 

Photo: Yad Vashem

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