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Irena Sendler Documentary Heartrending but Shows Heroism of Social Workers

At the end of the screening of the often emotional documentary “Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers” there were damp eyes in the audience and silence.

Stephanie Chambers, ACSW, manager of the National Association of Social Workers Professional Development Division, walked to the front of the room and broke the silence by expressing how many in the audience probably felt about Sendler and her team of Polish social workers who saved thousands of Jewish children from extermination by the Nazis.

“All of us can be grateful to people like her and be proud to be a member of her profession,” Chambers said.

NASW on Dec. 3 hosted a viewing of the hour-long film by director Mary Skinner. And NASW senior practice associates Bekki Ow-Arhus, LICSW, ACSW and Kamilah Omari, ACSW, conducted a continuing education course, “Irena Sendler: A Case Study in Applied Ethics,” during breaks in the screening.

The program attracted more than 30 social workers from around the area, including one who had just flown in from India and fought jet lag to see the film at NASW headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The movie served as platform to discuss what extreme actions social workers can take — including breaking the law and social conventions– to meet their primary ethical mission of enhancing human well being and meeting the basic human needs of all people, especially those who are vulnerable, oppressed, or living in poverty.

Sendler and her team of social workers at the Social Welfare Department risked their lives to spirit Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto and place them in safe homes and convents.  Any Pole caught helping Jews could be executed on the spot along with their families.

In fact, the Nazis arrested Sendler and severely tortured her. She escaped execution when resistance members bribed a guard to release her. Sendler went undercover and continued her work.

William Donat, who was hidden as a child by Irena Sendler's team, reunites in Poland with one of his rescuers. Scene from "Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers."

In order to save the children the social workers lied to authorities, forged documents and even shot Polish informants who threatened to turn  them in to the Germans. While risking their lives these social workers often had a thankless job — frequently the children they saved were terrified and resentful because they had to leave their parents and families.

Social worker Bharaty Venkatanarayanan said social workers juggle such ethical dilemmas every day, although not as severe as the ones Sendler and her co-workers experienced.

“I think it was very well done,” she said of the film. “The bottom lines are laid out — no fluff. It is what it is.”

Wendy Kaufman, MSW, a social worker who runs a private practice in La Plata, Md., is Jewish and has been to Israel and visited the Holocaust museum. But she had never heard of Sendler’s story.

“I thought it was so well done,” she said about the documentary. “It was difficult to watch and heartrending.”

Other social workers who watched the film said it is encouraging to see a filmmaker show the lifesaving and life affirming acts social workers often do.

“I was fascinated by her story,” said Jodi Smith, a social worker from Springfield, Va., who works in long-term care. “It’s refreshing to see a social worker portrayed ina positive life and playing such a pivotal role in history.”

To learn more about “Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers” click here. And to order a copy of the NASW Code of Ethics, click here.

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2 Comments

  1. I look forward to seeing this documentary. The article’s discussion of taking risks with the law made me think about the social workers involved in the civil rights movement here in the 1950’s and 1960’s. This is an interesting issue considering that nowadays if you break the law you are entered into this huge computer network and often treated harshly for making that decision. You may even lose your license to practice and/or be excluded from almost all social work jobs in the future. So are we idealizing this kind of heroic social work or condemning the people who cross the line for justice?

  2. Wow, can’t wait to see it out here on the West Coast. Thanks for sharing! I agree with Liz, we need more legal protection for those who are serving others, even protesting without a permit can scar your record these days.

    Irena is featured as hero of the week on our blog, you all might be interested to read.

    http://moralheroes.org/irena-sendler

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