Women’s Philanthropy event

JEANNIE SMITH — the daughter of Irene Gut Opdyke, who sheltered Jews in Poland during World War II — will speak at a Women’s Philanthropy of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ donors’ event on Thursday, April 11, 10 a.m.-noon at Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael in Springfield.

Opdyke, a young nurse, brought food to Jews hiding in the nearby forest and, while working as a housekeeper for a German major, hid 12 Jews in the cellar of his requisitioned villa. She was honored as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.

Smith will share her mother’s story, which Opdyke recounted in her memoir “In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer” — used in classrooms around the country — and which was the subject of the 2009 Broadway show “Irena’s Vow.”

This “Women with Purpose Event,” chaired by Alexandra Kerner and Jessica Silverstein, is open to women who give a minimum gift of $180 to the 2019 Greater MetroWest UJA Campaign. A breakfast buffet will be included. Registration is $54; visit jfedgmw.org/purpose or contact Claudia Lukac at clukac@jfedgmw.org or 973-929-3057.

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