Friday, January 18th, 2008
The Zookeeper's Wife

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.
Guests
Diane Ackerman
Poet, Author, and Naturalist
Author, "The
Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story" (2007, W.W. Norton)
Upstate New York
Related Links
- Diane Ackerman
- Yad Vashem: Jan Zabinski
- USA Today: In 'Zookeeper's Wife,' hope runs free
- Washington Post: A Natural History of Terrible Things
Segment produced by:Karin Vergoth



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