Irena Sendler would have been 105 this Sunday, February 15th. We remember her beautiful and courageous heart.
What a wonderful event in London at Chabad Belgravia. Rabbi Mendel did a beautiful job of arranging the event. We shared the story of Irena Sendler and much more. A man who had been part of the Kindertransport was in the audience. Also, Nadine Wojakovski, who wrote, “Two Prayers at Bedtime,” a powerful book of her family and the Holocaust was in attendance. Many ideas were formulated about more collaboration with Holocaust education.
This note comes from Rabbi Mendel: “I wanted to thank you very much on behalf of our community for making the trip to London to share the incredible story of Irena Sendler, and that of your inspiring class project and wonderful students! You really touched the heartstrings of those who attended your lecture, and I believe the impact will continue to reverberate into the future! Your humility, altruism, and passion are truly refreshing and inspiring.
I look forward to being in touch and exploring ways in which we can work together.”
Elizabeth (Liz) Cambers Hutton to present:
Lebanon, Missouri, High School Teacher to Participate in Discussion
Elizabeth (Liz) Hutton is now a teacher at Lebanon High School. She grew up in rural Kansas, never dreaming that a school project would take her to Poland, where she would meet one of the great heroines of World War II.
Lily Isaacs is one of the most celebrated gospel music singers in America, having won most of the major awards, including gospel’s highest honor, the Dove. She was born a Polish Jew, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors.
Liz and Lily will be together at Hillcrest Baptist Church, 299 Hoover Avenue in Lebanon, at 4 p.m., Friday, March 13, where they will tell their stories. All Lebanon school system teachers and staff are invited to attend.
For Lily, it’s a deeply personal experience, her own parents’ imprisonment during the war for no reason other than their nationality and faith, and their struggles to survive the war, including a brush with the gas chamber. Following the war they married and later brought two-year-old Lily to America.
For Liz, it’s her perseverance to find the truth, even though it occurred across an ocean and in another generation, that uncovered the terrible living conditions of those imprisoned and the woman who rescued an estimated 2,500 babies and children from almost certain death, twice the number saved by Oskar Schindler, as chronicled in the award-winning movie Schindler’s List. The woman’s name was Irena Sendler and her accomplishments were mostly unknown until Liz and three classmates wrote and performed a play that would shine a light on her accomplishments and win her the world’s recognition and admiration, including a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. The girls received their share of attention as well, appearing on CNN and The Today Show and being featured by many publications such as Ladies Home Journal.
The program is free and open to the public. It is being presented by the Lebanon Host Lions Club in association with a concert by the Isaacs at 7 p.m. at the Cowan Civic Center. Tickets for the concert are on sale at Morgan Music in Lebanon or by calling 417-532-7402.