The Resisters: Irene Opdyke by Mariam Girgis

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 14:32:20 UTC

Irene Opdyke was born on May 5th, 1922 in Kozienice, Poland. She passed away on May 17, 2003 in Fullerton, CA. She was Catholic.

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 14:33:46 UTC

Irene’s story is detailed in books like “Into the Flames: The Life Story of a Righteous Gentile” and “In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer.” Irene was recognized by Yad Vashem in 1982.

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 14:34:28 UTC

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 14:37:45 UTC

“Irene for me is like a mother, maybe even more, like someone who has given birth to me. Irene saved my life, and not only my life, the lives of my parents.” Roman Haller, Holocaust survivor.

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 14:39:34 UTC

Irene hid twelve Jewish people, including a pregnant woman, in a basement of a villa owned by Major Eduard Rugemer, a German Officer, during the Holocaust.

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 14:40:58 UTC

When she graduated nursing school in 1939 and started her travels as a nurse, Germany had invaded Poland, giving her no choice but to band with a group of approximately 200 people and make their way to the Ukrainian forests. On her journey, Opdyke was brutally raped by 3 russian soldiers and later on transferred to a hospital where she was forced to learn russian and work as a nurse there. Later on, a doctor attempted to rape her causing her to flee and live with a country doctor who told her to pose as his cousin.

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 14:43:44 UTC

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 14:44:58 UTC

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 14:52:34 UTC

"You must understand that I did not become a resistance fighter, a smuggler of Jews, a defier of the SS and the Nazis, all at once. One's first steps are always small: I had begun by hiding food under a fence." -Irene Opdyke

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 21:34:20 UTC

Irene emigrated to the United States in 1949, where she continued to share her story through public speaking engagements and written works. Her dedication to spreading awareness about the Holocaust helped ensure that such tragedies would never be forgotten.

193245_6 — 2024-04-24 21:41:34 UTC

While working in Rugemer's kitchen, Irene witnessed a German soldier rip a baby from its mother's arms in the Jewish ghetto and throw it to the ground, killing it.