“One person can make a difference” with Jeannie Smith

“One person can make a difference” with Jeannie Smith:

A follow up to the CWB

December 10 Pittsburgh premier of Irena’s
Vow

“I did not ask myself, ‘Should I do this? But how will I do this?’ Every step of my childhood had brought me to this crossroads. I must take the right path, or I will no longer be myself.  You must understand that I did not become a resistance fighter, a smuggler of Jews, a defier of the SS and the Nazis all at once. One’s first steps are always small.”

When we acknowledge that everything we do affects someone else for either good or bad, it opens our eyes. Understanding this is the antidote to how easy it is to become lulled into thinking that our actions are not enough and will not matter. 

When we choose to do nothing — nothing is what we will reap.

Jeannie Smith

Jeannie Smith is the daughter of Polish rescuer Irene Gut Opdyke, who received international recognition for her actions during the Holocaust while working for a high-ranking German official.

Irene’s story became a nationally acclaimed Broadway play, “Irena’s Vow.” Starring Tovah Feldshuh. Irena’s Vow has recently been made into a full length movie.

Irene’s book – “In My Hands” – memories of a Holocaust rescuer from Random House gives a detailed account of her life during WWII and is used in classrooms around the country.

The Israeli Holocaust Commission named Irene one of the Righteous Among the Nations and received the Israel Medal of Honor at Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.

Jeannie is a recipient of the 2015 Civil Rights award given by the Anti-Defamation League and an honorary member of the Jewish Federation of North America. Jeannie speaks for the Washington and Oregon Holocaust Speakers Bureau and many other organizations across the country and Europe. 

She has worked with the New York Polish Embassy regarding Polish/Jewish relations. Jeannie resides in Washington State with her husband, Gary. She’s a mother of three sons, a foster parent, a grandmother of five, and a surrogate mother to over 60 more.

The story she shares speaks to the power of love and encourages an undeniable truth: “One person can and does make a difference!” It speaks to the horrors and hate of the Holocaust and brings a message of faith, love, and hope that good can triumph over evil. It proclaims the conviction that, one by one, we can say no to hatred, persecution, and prejudice.

Love is the greatest weapon we have;  Hate is easy – it takes courage to Love.