When I saw on the schedule a visit to the Warsaw Zoo, I wondered why visit a zoo? But then I learned about the zoo keeper and his wife. The zoo is in the middle of the city and was established in 1928. It was and is again a delightful destination for families to enjoy, but what I learned was that it played a significant role during WWII. Its director, Jan Żabiński and his wife Antonina Żabiński hid dozens of Jews on zoo grounds during the German occupation. Their story inspired the book and movie The Zookeeper’s Wife. They have been recognized as The Righteous Among the Nations. Jan and Antonia were not Jews, but they hid and saved many in the cellar that had been used to store food for the animals. Antonia would play a certain song on the piano to alert the Jews in the basement that Nazis were in the building, and they would escape through a tunnel that was dug to an animal cage. Rachella was one of the people that was hidden for years and saved and was able to archive what happened. If any of the Jews had been found, Antonia and Jan would have been killed. I ask myself, what would I be prepared to take upon myself when faced with injustice? The zoo was destroyed and the animals all died, but the bravery of the zookeepers live on. There are many stories of kind, compassionate people that chose not to look the other way. They will never be forgotten. Stop and read the hundreds of monuments all throughout Warsaw telling their stories.
