"The Zookeeper's Wife," in Theaters Friday: the True Story of Two Christians Who Saved the Lives of Over 300 Jews

Kim Dorr : Mar 30, 2017
Gospel Herald

"The Zookeeper's Wife" shows us how once again God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary deeds. When the State of Israel later honored the Żabińskis as Righteous Among the Nations the couple remained modest about their achievements. Deep down in their hearts they knew they were carrying out the Lord's work and did not need the recognition.

[Gospel Herald] In life, our faith, convictions, and courage will be tested. In some people's lifetime, this test will be set in a background of war, in which the danger is greater, and the stakes and sacrifice higher. (Photo: Jessica Chastain and Daniel Bruhl pose for a photo with the crew of their movie "The Zookeeper’s Wife"/via Gospel Herald)

I recently attended an advanced screening of the movie "The Zookeeper's Wife". The movie is adapted from the book of the same name by author Diane Ackerman. It is based on the true story of Antonina and Jan Żabiński, a Christian husband and wife, who oversaw the many animals of the Warsaw Zoo in Poland during the 1930s with love and care.

[Watch the official trailer for "The Zookeeper's Wife" here]

The Warsaw Zoo flourished and became a destination under Antonina and Jan. People from all over Europe would visit. But the year 1939 marked a turning point. The Nazis invaded Poland and the world was plunged into World War II.

Under the Nazi occupation, Poland was engulfed in fear and oppression. But no one suffered more than the Jewish population who would soon face persecution. Jan and Antonina saw the abuse at the hands of the Nazis. Their friends and the Jewish community at large were rounded up and hauled off to the Warsaw Ghetto.

But despite the Nazi threat, the Żabiński's could not allow themselves to stand aside, in the face of such injustice and evil. They joined the Polish resistance and took it upon themselves to carry out a plan that snuck out Jews from the ghetto.

Throughout the war, they sheltered and protected over 300 Jews at their beloved Warsaw Zoo keeping these guests safe from the Nazis who were constantly...

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