[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 30, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H7336-H7338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COMMEMORATING IRENA SENDLER

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 361) commemorating Irena 
Sendler, a woman whose bravery saved the lives of thousands during the 
Holocaust and remembering her legacy of courage, selflessness, and 
hope.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 361

       Whereas on May 12, 2008, Irena Sendler, a living example of 
     social justice, died at the age of 98;
       Whereas Irena Sendler repeatedly risked her own life to 
     rescue over 2,500 Jewish children in Poland's Warsaw ghetto 
     from Nazi extermination during the Holocaust;
       Whereas inspired by her father, a physician who spent his 
     career treating poor Jewish patients, Irena Sendler dedicated 
     her life to others;
       Whereas Irena Sendler became an early activist at the start 
     of World War II, heading the clandestine group Zegota and 
     driving an underground movement that provided safe passage 
     for Jews from the Warsaw ghetto, who were facing disease, 
     execution, or deportation to concentration camps;
       Whereas Irena Sendler became one of Zegota's most 
     successful workers, taking charge of the children's division 
     and using her senior position with the city's welfare 
     department to gain access to and from the ghetto and build a 
     network of allies to help ferry Jewish children from the 
     Warsaw ghetto;
       Whereas Irena Sendler was arrested by the Gestapo on 
     October 20, 1943, tortured, and sentenced to death by firing 
     squad;
       Whereas Irena Sendler never revealed details of her 
     contacts, escaped from Pawiak prison, and continued her 
     invaluable work with Zegota;
       Whereas in 1965, Irena Sendler was recognized as 
     ``Righteous Among the Nations'' by the Yad Vashem Holocaust 
     memorial in Israel;
       Whereas in 2006, Irena Sendler was nominated for the Nobel 
     Peace Prize;
       Whereas Irena Sendler was awarded the Order of the White 
     Eagle, Poland's highest civilian decoration;
       Whereas Irena Sendler's life has been chronicled in the 
     documentary film, ``Tzedek: The Righteous'' and ``Life in a 
     Jar'', a play about her rescue efforts;
       Whereas Irena Sendler, a woman who risked everything for 
     the lives of others and whose bravery is unimaginable to many 
     of us, expressed guilt for not being able to do more for the 
     Jewish people; and
       Whereas Americans, as well as the world community, are 
     reminded not only of the horrible cruelty at the time of the 
     Holocaust, but also the incredible difference one person can 
     make by knowing Irena Sendler's story: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) mourns the loss of Irena Sendler, a woman whose bravery 
     and heroic efforts saved over 2,500 Jewish children during 
     the Holocaust;

[[Page H7337]]

       (2) pays its respect and extends its condolences to the 
     Sendler family;
       (3) honors her legacy of courage, selflessness, and hope; 
     and
       (4) remembers the life of Irena Sendler for her heroic 
     efforts to save over 2,500 Jewish children during the 
     Holocaust, and for her unwavering dedication to justice and 
     human rights.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Berman) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, this measure has been brought to us by our colleague, 
the gentlelady from Chicago (Ms. Schakowsky). It notes the loss of a 
true humanitarian last May, with the passing of Irena Sendler, a Polish 
Catholic social worker who rescued 2,500 Jewish children from near 
certain death in the Warsaw Ghetto.
  When it became clear to her that the Nazis planned to exterminate 
Poland's 1,000-year-old Jewish community, Ms. Sendler joined Zegota, 
the Council for Aid to Jews, an organization run by the Polish 
underground, committed to providing assistance and safe haven to the 
country's Jewish population.
  Ms. Sendler became head of Zegota's children's department. Using her 
contacts from her days as a social worker, she placed thousands of 
Jewish children smuggled from the Warsaw Ghetto, often under 
Christianized names, in convents and orphanages to shelter them 
throughout the war.
  These convents and orphanages were intended as temporary refuges, as 
Ms. Sendler recorded the actual names of these children on tissue 
paper. She stored those records in jars, buried them in her garden, in 
the hope that after the war, they would be reunited with their 
families.
  In 1965, she was given the honor of being named Righteous Among the 
Nations by Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. Her legacy of 
courage and hope until then was little known in Poland.
  In 2003, Irena Sendler finally received the widespread recognition 
she so greatly deserved when she was awarded the Order of the White 
Eagle, Poland's highest civilian decoration, and in 2006, she was 
nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
  We all pay our respects and extend our condolences to the Sendler 
family.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHABOT. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The Holocaust was filled with unconscionable inhumanity and horrors 
and revealed the tremendous cruelty some human beings are capable of 
imposing on others. But there were exceptions. Within the darkness of 
the Holocaust, the story of Irena Sendler, who repeatedly risked her 
own life to rescue thousands of Jewish children in Poland from being 
murdered by the Nazis serves as an inspirational example of human 
bravery and selflessness and compassion.
  House Concurrent Resolution 361 commemorates Irena Sendler, who 
passed away in May of this year. The resolution, among other things, 
notes that the United States Congress mourns the loss of this heroine 
and remembers her for saving the lives of thousands of Jewish children 
and for her courageous dedication to justice and human rights.
  I support this resolution, and I want to thank the gentleman for his 
inspirational words. I urge my colleagues to do so as well.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BERMAN. I yield such time as she may consume to the author of the 
resolution, the gentlelady from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. 
Res. 361, a resolution I introduced commemorating Irena Sendler, a 
woman whose bravery saved the lives of thousands of children during the 
Holocaust, and remembering her legacy of courage, selflessness and 
hope. I want to thank Chairman Berman for his leadership in bringing 
this to the floor, and also Senator Obama for offering similar 
legislation in the Senate.
  Irena Sendler lived her life by the standards of humanity that she 
learned from her parents. She once stated, ``I was taught that if you 
see a person drowning, you must jump into the water to save them, 
whether you can swim or not.''
  Sendler was a 29-year-old Catholic employed by the City of Warsaw 
when the German invasion of Poland ushered in one of the darkest 
chapters in human history. Disguised as an infection-control nurse, she 
was able to enter the Warsaw Jewish ghetto to distribute supplies. In 
1942, Sendler joined the newly formed underground organization Zegota, 
working to assist thousands of Jews who had survived mass deportations 
and were living in hiding.
  Utilizing her contacts with orphanages, Sendler organized the rescue 
of Jewish children, smuggling some out in boxes and suitcases, leading 
others through secret passages and sewers. Children were hidden in 
Roman Catholic orphanages and convents, as well as private homes, under 
false identities. Sendler buried a jar with the true name of every 
child in a friend's garden in hopes of reuniting the children with 
their families after the war.
  After she was arrested in October of 1943, Sendler refused to provide 
the list of names or the identity of her collaborators, even when she 
was tortured and sentenced to death. She was spared execution only 
because underground activists managed to bribe officials. After her 
release, Sendler was forced into hiding but she continued to work to 
rescue Jewish children. It is estimated that she rescued over 2,500 
children.
  She passed away in May of 2008 at the age of 98. I introduced this 
resolution with the hope that her legacy will inspire people to fight 
for human rights. Her heroic story reminds us that the actions of one 
person can make a real difference in this world.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, pay tribute to Irena 
Sendler, and remind all of us to stand up against oppression and fight 
for those without a voice.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. 
Res. 361, a resolution I introduced commemorating Irena Sendler, a 
woman whose bravery saved the lives of thousands of children during the 
Holocaust, and remembering her legacy of courage, selflessness, and 
hope.
  I would like to thank the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, Congressman Berman, for his leadership in bringing this 
legislation to the floor today. I would also like to thank Senator 
Obama for offering similar legislation in the Senate.
  Irena Sendler lived her life by the standards of compassion and 
humanity that she learned from her parents. She once stated, ``I was 
taught that if you see a person drowning, you must jump into the water 
to save them, whether you can swim or not.''
  Sendler was a 29-year-old Polish Catholic, employed by the city of 
Warsaw as a social worker, when the German invasion of Poland ushered 
in one of the darkest chapters in human history. Jews were rounded up 
and crowded into the Warsaw ghetto, where poor hygiene and a lack of 
food and medical supplies led to the outbreak of disease. Sendler 
managed to pass herself off as an infection-control nurse, enabling her 
to enter the ghetto and distribute supplies, and she began to smuggle 
Jews out of the ghetto and into hiding. In 1942, the underground 
organization Council for the Aid of Jews, known as Zegota, was 
established following the deportation of 280,000 Jews from Warsaw to 
Treblinka. Sendler joined the organization, working to assist thousands 
of Jews who had survived the deportations and were living in hiding.
  Working with Zegota, Sendler utilized her contacts with orphanages to 
rescue Jewish children. Young children were smuggled out in boxes and 
suitcases; older children were led through secret passages and sewers. 
Many of the children were sent to Roman Catholic orphanages and 
convents, while others were hidden in private homes. All were given 
false identities and non-Jewish names. Sendler buried a jar with the 
true names of every child in a friend's garden, in hopes of reuniting 
the children with their families after the war.
  A mother herself, Sendler later recalled that the most difficult part 
of her work was to convince parents to give their children into her 
care. They would ask her if she could guarantee their survival, and she 
would respond that she could not, but she could guarantee that they 
would likely die if they stayed.

[[Page H7338]]

  Irena Sendler was arrested by the Nazis in October 1943. She managed 
to hide critical information, including the addresses of the hidden 
children, before her capture. Although she endured torture and was 
sentenced to death, she refused to provide the location of the lists of 
names or the identity of her collaborators. She was spared execution 
only because other underground activists managed to bribe officials.
  After her release, Sendler was forced to go into hiding, but she 
nevertheless continued to work to rescue Jewish children. Although the 
exact number of children she saved is unknown, it is widely estimated 
to be over 2,500. After the war, she unearthed the hidden lists and 
worked to reunite the children with their families. A large majority of 
the children had no surviving family members, and many were adopted by 
Polish families, while others were sent to Israel.
  Irena Sendler's remarkable story garnered little attention after the 
war. She was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Israel's Yad 
Vashem on October 19, 1965, but her story was not widely known until 
1999, when four high school students in Kansas wrote a play, Life in a 
Jar, based on her life. The play has since been performed across the 
United States, Canada, and Europe. In 2003, she was awarded the Order 
of the White Eagle, Poland's highest civilian decoration, and in 2007 
she was honored by the Polish parliament, which unanimously approved a 
resolution honoring her for organizing the rescue of Jewish children. 
She was nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
  Irena Sendler passed away in May 2008 at the age of 98. Even though 
her actions saved countless innocent children from a horrific death, 
she said that she always regretted being unable to do more.
  In speaking about those non-Jews, like Irena Sendler, who risked 
their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust, Elie Weisel stated, ``In 
those times there was darkness everywhere. In heaven and on earth, all 
the gates of compassion seemed to have been closed. The killer killed 
and the Jews died and the outside world adopted an attitude either of 
complicity or of indifference. Only a few had the courage to care. 
These few men and women were vulnerable, afraid, helpless--what made 
them different from their fellow citizens? . . . Why were there so 
few?''
  I introduced this resolution with the hope that Irena Sendler's 
legacy would help inspire people to fight for human rights and social 
justice. Her heroic story reminds us that the actions of one person can 
make a real difference in this world. As the Talmud teaches, ``whoever 
saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.'' There 
is no higher act of selflessness than to protect people who cannot 
defend themselves.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, to pay tribute to 
Irena Sendler and to remind all of us to stand up against oppression 
and fight for those without a voice.
  Mr. CHABOT. We will yield back the balance of our time.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Berman) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 361.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________