Last Saturday’s “Google doodle” depicted a woman in a nursing costume standing under an apple tree, a story which is familiar to many Poles but largely unknown outside of Poland.

The drawing is a reference to Irena Sendler, the courageous Polish nurse who rescued 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto by hiding them in Polish families, orphanages, and monasteries.

As a nurse, Sendler was allowed into the Ghetto to check for signs of typhus, an opportunity she used to smuggle in food, clothing, medicine, and other items the Jewish residents there desperately needed. She later used her contacts to smuggle out children when the Germans began sending the Warsaw Ghetto Jews to be exterminated in Treblinka.

In hopes of someday reuniting the children with parents, Sendler famously wrote down the names and addresses of the smuggled children and buried the coded information in jars under an apple tree, effectively preserving one of the only records of their Jewish identities.

Sendler was eventually arrested and tortured by the Gestapo on October 18, 1943, but managed to escape before being executed. She continued to fight for a free Polish state and lived in Warsaw until her death in 2008 at the age of 98.

Despite being nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize and recognized by Vad Yashem for being Righteous Among the Nations, her story is still widely unknown outside of Poland. In honor of the 110th anniversary of her birthday, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, has created a virtual exhibition telling the story of her extraordinary life, which can be viewed here.

Polish tennis champ wins tournament in Thailand

Poland’s Magda Linette won the Hua Hin tennis tournament in Thailand yesterday after defeating Swiss player Leonie Küng in two sets 6-3, 6-2.

The win marks the 28-year-old Linette’s second time standing atop a WTA podium after taking home the singles trophy at the Bronx Open in New York last year. In a post-match interview, a jubilant Linette claimed she was “feeling wonderful,” as “coming here [she] didn’t expect this at all.”

Her success in Thailand has already bumped Linette up to an all-time career-high of 33rd place in the WTA Singles rankings. She is joined in the top 50 by fellow Pole Iga Świątek, who is currently ranked 49th.

Polish basketball star announces retirement

Former NBA basketball player Marcin Gortat announced his official retirement on Saturday during his annual Polish Heritage Night in Los Angeles.

The 35-year-old center most recently played for the Los Angeles Clippers, and also played for the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns and the Washington Wizards during his 12-year stint in the NBA. Only two other Poles, Cezary Trybański and Maciej Lampe, have had the opportunity to play in the world’s most prestigious basketball league.

In addition to his love of basketball, Gortat was known for his love of Poland. Since 2012, he and his MG13 Foundation have been hosting Polish Heritage Night in Los Angeles in an effort to promote Polish culture in the US. Last year’s festivities were attended by Edyta Górniak and featured Polish music and cheerleaders from Gdynia along with a video address from Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Poland mourns passing of famous director

Jerzy Gruza, a well-known television and film director and former director of Gdynia’s Music Theatre, passed away yesterday in Warsaw at the age of 87.

Gruza was best known for directing numerous TV series including the immensely popular “Czterdziestolatek” (The 40 Year Old Man), and “Wojna Domowa” (Civil War), which provided viewers with a humorous take on everyday life in Communist-era (PRL) Poland.

He later served as director of the Musical Theatre in Gdynia from 1983 to 1991, eventually returning to visit the city many years later in order to receive the Platinum Lions lifetime achievement award at the 2017 Polish Film Festival.

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy and very windy, with gusts up to 35 km or over 20 miles per hour near the seaside. Temperatures will peak this afternoon around 10°C (50°F) with temperatures dropping to 5°C (41°F) overnight. Skies are expected to clear later this evening with clouds and a chance for rain returning tomorrow morning.