« Would you be willing to entrust your child to me? »
This was the most painful part of his mission. The parents had to make a decision in a few moments: hand over their child to a stranger without knowing if they would ever see him again, without being certain that he would survive, but knowing that, if he remained in the ghetto, he would almost certainly die.
Most of them agreed.
Children hidden to get over walls
Irena devised numerous methods to get the children out. Some were hidden in toolboxes, others in potato sacks, or in coffins marked « victim of typhus. » The Germans feared this disease and avoided opening the coffins.
She also used ambulances, in which the children were hidden under stretchers. Sometimes she smuggled them through the sewers. On other occasions, she used court buildings, which had passages leading to both sides of the wall.
Irena also had a dog that she had trained to bark on command. When the Germans approached, the animal would start barking to cover up any noises that might reveal the presence of the children.
Every operation could prove fatal. A cry, a cough, or a misplaced glance was enough to condemn all those involved.
Day after day, Irena risked her life.
