As we mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 26th, let us also remember the women that contributed to Holocaust resistance, often putting themselves in harm’s way. Among them are the following heroes:
Irenda Sendler- The Polish social worker who smuggled children out of Jewish ghettoes, rescuing 2,500 with her network over the course of WWII
Hannah Szenes- The Jewish parachutist who worked for anti-Nazi forces in Yugoslavia and Hungary and refused to give up valuable intelligence when captured by the Germans
Gisi Fleischmann- The Jewish council member and leader in Bratislava who fought to halt the deportations of Jews from Slovakia
Mire Gola- The Communist and Polish Worker’s Party activist who organized a prison break and wrote poetry to inspire her fellow inmates while incarcerated
Haika Grosman- The woman who escaped the ghetto to organize the “anti-fascist committee” to help Jews escape the ghetto and coordinate an armed resistance
Many more women opposed the Holocaust and the Nazi regime in concentration camps, in ghettos, and by forming underground railroads to help Jews escape. Let their bravery be remembered.
