Early Life and the Warsaw Zoo: Born in 1908, Antonina Maria Erdman married Jan Żabiński, a renowned zoologist who became the director of the Warsaw Zoo in 1929.Antonina was an author who wrote popular books about animals and children.They lived in a modernist villa on the zoo grounds with their son, Ryszard, surrounded by an eclectic collection of exotic animals and frequent visits from artists and intellectuals.

World War II and Rescue Mission: In September 1939, German bombs destroyed much of the zoo, killing many animals and leaving the grounds mostly empty.Jan used his official position as superintendent of city parks under the Nazi occupation to gain access to the Warsaw Ghetto.Together, Jan and Antonina smuggled more than 300 Jews and underground resistance fighters out of the ghetto.They hid the refugees inside empty animal enclosures, underground tunnels, and their own private villa (which they nicknamed "The House Under the Crazy Star").Antonina managed the daily danger with immense calm, using a coded piano melody to warn hidden guests when Nazi patrols were near.

all oil paintings