Lecture: Jeannie Smith, daughter of Holocaust rescuer Irene Gut OpDyke

The Florida Holocaust Museum welcomes Jeannie Smith, daughter of the Polish Holocaust rescuer Irene Gut OpDyke.

Gut OpDyke, who died in 2003, has received international recognition for her actions during the Holocaust while working for a high-ranking German official. Her life story was told on Broadway in the acclaimed play “Irena’s Vow.”

The museum notes that the Israeli Holocaust Commission named Gut OpDyke one of the Righteous among the Nations, a title given to those who risked their lives by aiding and saving Jews during the Holocaust.  She was presented with the Israel Medal of Honor, Israel’s highest tribute, in a ceremony at Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.  The Vatican gave her a special commendation, and her story is part of a permanent exhibit in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. 

In addition, in 2008, Gut OpDyke was posthumously presented with the Commanders Cross, the Polish Medal of Honor.