Jan Żabiński was a director of the Warsaw ZOO before and during World War II. When Germans invaded and bombed Warsaw in 1939  Żabiński, together with his wife Antonina, saved more than 300 Jews from starvation or shipping them to the German death camp Treblinka. The risk was enormous, because Germans killed thousands of Poles who helped Jews.

Most of the zoo’s structures were destroyed in the bombings. The zoo was closed under German occupation. Jan with Antonina and their son Ryszard occupied the house where they secretly sheltered Jews. Over 300 Jews found temporary shelter in the house and abandoned animal cages. At first, Jan paid all costs from his own funds. Then he received money from Polish Council to Aid Jews – Żegota, the only state organisation in Europe helping Jews during WW2.

Jan took part in the Warsaw Uprising and was taken as a prisoner to Germany. Despite Jan’s eventual capture, Antonina and their son, Ryszard, continued aiding Jews at the zoo.

Raised in a devout Catholic household and having endured personal loss during the Russian Revolution, Antonina understood the toll of war intimately. Despite her nerves, she tirelessly assisted those fleeing the Nazis, driven by her love for all living beings. The Zabinskis sheltered Jews in animal cages, their home, and secret tunnels, using music as signals and giving animal-themed nicknames to conceal identities.

Following the war, Jan resumed his work and authored numerous science books, while Antonina continued her dedication to animal welfare. Of the 300 they saved, only two perished during the war; the rest found safety elsewhere.

In 1968, Israel honoured the Zabinskis as „Righteous Among the Nations,” recognising their remarkable courage during humanity’s darkest hour.

Their story was the basis for the Hollywood blockbuster “The Zookeeper’s Wife”. If you haven’t seen it yet we highly recommend to watch it.

The couple Żabiński is among the 7,112 Poles (more than any other country) honoured as “The Righteous Among the Nations” at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. Poles constitute the largest national group within the Righteous Among the Nations recognised by Yad Vashem. 27.712 people has been recognised so far. More than 25% of which were Polish. More can be read at the official Yad Vashem website. We need to remember that throughout the German occupation of Poland, many Poles risked their own lives – and the lives of their families – to rescue Jews from the Germans. To date, 7,112 Christian Poles have been awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel, more than those of any other nation (to compare Germany just 616). Considering the harsh punishment that threatened rescuers, this is a most impressive number. Polish citizens were hampered by the most extreme conditions in all of German-occupied Europe. Occupied Poland was the only territory where the Germans decreed that any kind of help for Jews was punishable by death for the helper and their entire family. At least 50.000 Poles were executed by the Germans solely as a penalty for saving Jews.

Nel Badowska