Irene Gut Opdyke was just a girl when Germany invaded Poland — 17 years old, a nursing student, Polish patriot and good Catholic girl. Disgusted by the suffering inflicted on the local Jews, Irene began to resist; she snuck food and blankets from the hotel where she worked as a waitress to Jews in the ghetto, as well as information she picked up from conversations between German officers.
When she was forced to work as the head housekeeper for a prominent German major, Irene risked her own life to shelter 12 Jewish refugees in the basement, hiding and protecting them until the Germans’ defeat.
Irene’s daughter, Jeannie Smith, will share her mother’s inspirational story at a Lunch ‘n Learn event sponsored by the Minneapolis Jewish Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy division 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, May 11 at Temple Israel, 2324 Emerson Ave. S., Minneapolis.
Smith is a member of a new generation of Holocaust speakers who share the stories of their parents’ first-hand experiences.
This cost is $15, which will include a kosher lunch. For information or to make a reservation, visit: www.jewishminneapolis.org or contact Dana Rubin at 952-417-2344 or: drubin@mplsfed.org.
