The Zookeeper's Wife (broadcast Friday, January 18th, 2008)

Portrait of Jan Zabinski, former director of the Warsaw Zoo. USHMM, courtesy of Zydowski Instytut Historyczny Instytut Naukowo-Badawczy

In this segment, Ira talks with Diane Ackerman, author of 'The Zookeeper's Wife,' a new book about World War II and the Warsaw Zoo. The zoo's director, Jan Zabinski, and his wife Antonia, sheltered hundreds of Jewish people from Nazi forces during the war, sometimes hiding them in disused animal cages or concealing them within the Zabinski's own home on the grounds. The pair were later declared to be 'Righteous Among the Nations' by Yad Vashem. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.