In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer is a memoir written by Irene Gut Opdyke with help from historical-fiction author Jennifer Armstrong. The book details Opdyke’s experience as a young Polish woman who rescued Jews from the Holocaust during World War II. Armstrong explains in a note at the end of the book that she constructed the narrative after countless hours interviewing Opdyke. For the purpose of this study guide, Opdyke is referred to as the author of the memoir throughout.

Opdyke, née Irena Gut, was born in a small Polish village in May 1922, and In My Hands begins with a brief recounting of Irena’s happy childhood as the eldest of five sisters. As a teenager, Irena wishes to become a hero, saving lives and taking part in “righteous adventures” (14), so she volunteers for the Red Cross and decides to become a nurse. Meanwhile, Hitler is rising to power in Germany.

At the age of sixteen, in 1938, Irena enrolls in nursing school at St. Mary’s Hospital in Radom, Poland. As her studies continue, Hitler’s influence grows in both Germany and Poland. In September 1938, German bombers attack Radom, and Irena quickly becomes a rescue worker at St.